Everett Labor Council Rallies for Iowa Button Workers
Local union leaders send support to striking button workers in Muscatine while pushing federal legislators for an eight-hour workday.
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Council was called to order at 8 p.m. by President Olinger. Mrs. Louise Mariman, one of the striking button workers of Muscatine, Iowa, was introduced and told of the struggle for unionism going on in the button industry. The council voted $25 to the button workers. Mr. Moore, traveling auditor for the Industrial Insurance Commission, spoke at some length upon the provisions of the act and left printed instructions and application blanks in the care of the secretary. Delegate Chisholm called the attention of the council to the fact that the lower branch of Congress had passed the eight-hour bill known as H. B. No. 9061 and it was pending in the Senate, urging that locals write to the senators from Washington urging them to vote for the bill. Council instructed the secretary to demand in the name of organized labor of Everett support of our senators for the measure.
“Mrs. Louise Mariman, one of the striking button workers of Muscatine, Iowa, was introduced and told of the struggle for unionism.”
This meeting highlights the internationalism of early 20th-century labor movements, where local councils directly funded distant strikes. Today's labor advocacy in Everett continues to navigate similar federal legislative hurdles regarding work-life balance and worker protections.
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