Labor's Bold Bid for a National Home
Washington State Federation of Labor proposes a 25-cent assessment on every union member in the U.S. to build a centralized national labor temple in Washington, D.C.
At the eighth annual convention of the Washington State Federation of Labor held at the K. of P. hall in Spokane, a resolution was adopted to establish a national labor temple in Washington, D.C. The proposal aims to bring the heads of every labor union, currently scattered across 38 cities, under one roof. To fund the project, the resolution suggests an assessment of 25 percent of one day's salary from every union member in the country. This temple would serve as a permanent base for national legislation and house an auditorium for major labor conventions. Advocates believe this move will force the parent American Federation of Labor to finally take action on a long-deferred project and help eliminate internal jurisdictional disputes.
“Never before in the history of the country has a labor body taken such steps to centralize its forces at the basis of national legislation.”
The idea of a centralized 'power center' for labor in the nation's capital remains a recurring aspiration in union politics, even as digital organization has largely replaced the need for centralized physical headquarters.
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