Shingle Mill Owners Move to Slash Wages
Washington shingle manufacturers opt to cut pay to stay competitive against British Columbia imports.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Seattle, Wash.—A meeting of shingle manufacturers of the state, held for the purpose of recommending ways and means to compete with British Columbia manufacturers, resulted in the decision that the best way to meet the situation was to reduce the wage schedule. A report embodying this view was presented. It is generally understood that a new schedule of wages among the shingle manufacturers of the state will be put into effect on July 1. The committee appointed at the meeting did not make such a mandatory recommendation, but put the question to the individual manufacturer to act as he thinks best.
“The best way to meet the situation was to reduce the wage schedule.”
This 1914 labor maneuver mirrors modern industrial trends where regional businesses cite global competition to justify reducing local payrolls. It highlights the long-standing volatility in the Pacific Northwest timber and milling economy, where workers' wages have frequently been the first lever pulled during economic downturns.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.