The Failed Cooperative Mill
A shingle mill in Anacortes, once run as a cooperative, falls into chaos when workers strike over the firing of a colleague.
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.
The operators at the Phelps & Stanley shingle mill went out on a strike yesterday and the mill is now temporarily idle. The foreman, not being satisfied with the services of one of the employees, discharged him; the other employees demanded to know why the man was discharged. The foreman, in substance, said it was none of their business, and then the employees insisted upon a reinstatement of the discharged man. This was refused, the employees were promptly paid off and a man sent to Seattle after a new crew. In view of the history of this mill, the strike is a peculiar one. The mill was started about two years ago on the cooperative plan, but the men did not agree and it became evident the cooperative plan was in this instance a failure. Outside labor was hired and the mill continued cutting shingles until a few months ago, when Phelps & Stanley leased the mill.
“The foreman, in substance, said it was none of their business, and then the employees insisted upon a reinstatement of the discharged man.”
The transition from cooperative enterprise to traditional capitalist hierarchy captures the volatile labor landscape of 1890s Washington, a period defined by the struggle between workers' collective autonomy and the growing power of industrial owners.
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