The Eight-Hour Day Fight Reaches Fever Pitch
Local machinists are holding firm in a region-wide strike against the Sumner Iron Works and other firms to secure the eight-hour workday.
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Since last week's issue, the striking machinists in the northwest have gained a decided advantage. All shops in Olympia have signed up and are running on an eight-hour basis. The Washington Iron Works in Spokane, one of the largest shops in that city, conceded the eight-hour day without any sign of trouble. Locally, the situation is unchanged. The boys have the situation well in hand and their ranks are unbroken. As before stated, the Sumner Iron Works must bear the blame for a protracted struggle in this city, as the smaller shops would sign up were it not for the pressure brought to bear upon them by the Sumner people and their backers. It makes no difference to the machinists whether the strike lasts one month or twelve, as far as their determination to win is concerned.
“The non-union shop which is termed the open shop is desired by some employers because the non-unionist can be used to tear down the living and moral standard of the better class of workers.”
Everett has a long history of labor militancy, and the 1910 push for an eight-hour day mirrors the ongoing modern-day debates over work-life balance, mandatory overtime, and the gig economy. The struggle to move from twelve-hour shifts to eight is the direct ancestor of today's fight for a four-day work week and sustainable labor standards.
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