Union Clash at the Everett Smelter
Management threatens to shutter the newly constructed smelter indefinitely if organized labor interferes with non-union hiring.
The story, cleaned up
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Labor troubles are liable to complicate matters in regard to the Everett smelter, which was to have been put in operation March 1. It has been the policy of the American Smelter & Refining company not to recognize labor unions or to deal with them in any way, and that policy has been adhered to at the new plant. A walkout occurred yesterday when a delegate who asked that only union helpers be employed to assist the bricklayers now working there was turned down. The management states that if any demonstration is made by organized labor, the plant will be closed down indefinitely.
“The management states that if any demonstration is made by organized labor, the plant will be closed down indefinitely.”
This conflict at the Everett smelter highlights the deep-seated friction between emerging industrial capital and the organized labor movement at the turn of the 20th century. Similar battles over labor recognition and collective bargaining remain a flashpoint in Washington's industrial landscape today.
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