Electrical Workers and Operators

The Journal ot Electrical Workers and Operators OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and all Its Departments. OWNED AND PUBLISHED BY THE INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS CHAS. P. FORD} International Secretary, GENERAL OFFICES: REISCR BUILDING SPRINGFIELD, ILL. Subscription, 26c per year, in advance. This Journal will not be held responsible for views exprelllled by corre8ponden•• The tenth of each month is the closiq date; an copy must be in our handa on or Won. Second Cia•• prhilejre applied for at the Post omc.. at Sprin",eld, IDlDOia. under Act of June I.th, 18e•• INDEX. A Quarter Century of Progress. .. 221-227 Around the Circuit. ................................... 271-272 Classified Directory .................................. 287-288 Correspondence ..................• . .. 245-271 Editorial ............................................. 237-241 Elementary Lessons ........................•......... 275-277 Executive Officers ................................... 235 In Memoriam ........................................ 228-234 Local Union Official Receipts .......................... 241-244 Local Union Directory .........._...................... 278-286 Notices ..................•••.....•................... 235-236 Things Electrical .................................... 272-275 THE JOURNAL OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS AND OPERATORS OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS Second CI ... privilege applied for at the Post Office at Springfield. Illinois. under Act of June 26th. 1906 Sinille Copies. 10 Cenb \70';.,. XVI, No.4 SPRINGFielD, ILL., NOVEMBER 1916. 25< per • Year in advance A Quarter Century of Progress ,p Twenty·five years ago this month, No c\About September 1st, 1890, a few men vember 21st, 1891, to be exact, the Broth· came together and against bitter and erhood was born. Attendants at the most senseless opposition formed what is birth pronounced it a bright hardy now Local No. 1 of St. Louis with about youngster, even though its weight was twelve members who pledged their efforts nothing to break records. What it and means to bring about an organiza lacked in weight it made up in enthusi· tion of the entire craft. Up to September, asm and determination to live and grow. 1891, about eight Local Unions holding Today in the very prime of life it shows charters from the American Federation every indication of not only justifying of Labor under the nanie of wiremen and the most sanguine predictions of its most linemen were in existence, besides four or enthusiastic and optimistic sponsors, but five electrical unions; also an older or· bids fair to exceed their wildest dreams ganization in the West-The United Or· of its usefulness, influence and success. der of Linemen. It came through the full calendar of About September, 1891, the St. Louis childish diseases, to which young or· Union sent out a call for a convention to ganizations are subject, with a robust be held in the city receiVing the largest constitution and later was tested by a nUmber of votes, and St. Louis was se severe attack of the most malignant fever lected unanimously. The organizations lasting six years, and now two years after sending delegates were the following: St. recovery from that ailment stands forth Louis, Evansville, Indianapolis, Toledo a veritable young giant amongst organi. and Chicago with the following cities rep· lIations and with the greatest fleld of resented by proxiea through members of endeavor and widest sphere of influ· the St. Louis Union: Milwaukee, Duluth ence of any Labor OrganiZation in the and Philadelphia, the latter shortly after world today. collapsed. The convention was called for No better evidence of its early strug· November 21st. The number of members gles can be offered other than to quote represented was less than flve hundred from the report of the grand old Father of with no means. the Brotherhood, Henry Miller, submitted At such a diminutive showing there to the Second Convention of the National naturally existed a feeling of almost de· Brotherhood of the Electrical Workers of spair. Those who attended the conven· America held at Chicago, Illinois, Novem· tion will well remember the time they ber 14th to 17th, 1892: had hiding from the reporters trying to "One year has gone by since the or· make it appear that we had a great dele· ganization of the Brotherhood as this our gation. Second Annual Convention is at hand. After working night and day for five Let us look back and see if our organiza days they proclaimed the National Broth· tion can be made a success. No brands erhood of Electrical Workers of America. of skilled labor ever presented a more A constitution, general laws, ritualistic unorganized or demoralized condition services were adopted. The convention than that of the Electrical Workers of adjourned on the 28th day of November. America in the year of 1889. Apart from the imperfectly organized The delegates answering the call by associations that existed in a few cities, Local No.1 and who formed the Brother· .the craft as an organization had no ex· hood were: J. T. Kelley, Henry Miller istence and the failure of the Electrical and W. Hedden of St. Louis Union, T. Union in 1883 had led to the general be J. Finnell of Chicago Union, J. C. Sutter lief that any future attempt would be a of Duluth Union, M. Dorsey of Milwau· fruitless task. kee, Wis., E. Harting of Indianapolis, 220 THE JOURNAL OF ELECTRICAL F. J. lII[cNll'LTY, CBAS. P. FORD, International J!res1dent. International Secretary. ~ ~ ~-. ..- ~-.... - w. A. BOGAB, International '.rrea.u:rer. WORKERS AND OPERATORS. 221 .fA.... P. Jll'OOJll'AJr L. C. GBA-SSB., IIlteftaatioDal Vice-Pr.. ident. IIltematioDal V1ce-Prtlldde2lt. 222 THE JOURNAL OF ELECTRICAL ) Ind., F. Herzleman of Toledo, Ohio, very few experienced men to whom they .Toseph Berlowitz of Philadelphia, Pa., could look for proper guidance the way and H. Fisher of Evansville, Ind. was indeed rough and full of pitfalls. .T. T. Kelley, now Press Secretary of :\Iany LO('als were wrecked by impetuou~ Local No. 1 of St. Louis, opened the first adion and still more by the hirelings of convention of our Brotherhood. Henry the corporations. In some pla(!es it Miller of St. Louis, was elected Chair meant immediate discharge to have it man and T . .T. Finnell of Chicago, Secre known that you carried a carr! in any tary. On motion of Brother J. Berlo union. Journeymen worked for as low witz, seconded by Brother E. C. Hart as $1.50 per day of ten hours or longer ing, it was propm'ed that the name of at the dictation of the employer. the organization be The Xational Brother After the Chicago Convention, the work hood ot Electrical Workers ot Ameri of organizing was taken Ull with re ca." newed vigor and conSidering the means This, the first motion after the. or with which they had to work. great prog ganizing of the convention carried. ress was made. The following convention Delegate J. T. Kelley, President of the held at Clevela-nd, Ohio, November 13th, St. Louis Union then, informed the dele 1893, showed an increase in membership, gates of the National Convention that the but the treasury of the organization was St. Louis Local would loan the National constantly depleted, despite the fact that organization the necessary money to de the greatest possible economy was prac fray the expenses of the National Con ticed in conducting the affairs of the or vention. The convention accepted the ganization. Thirty-one Locals were rep offer with the understanding that said resented at this convention out of a loan should be returned to the St. Louis total of forty-nine. The total amou,nt in Local Union out of the treasury of the Brotherhood's treasury twelve days be National Brotherhood of Electrical Work fore the convention opened or on No ers of America. And this was the time vember 1st, 1893, was fifty-two dollars and manner in which the Brotherhood and thirty-nine cents ($52.39) hardly was born. There was little to encourage enough to begin paying anyone item of this small group of men. The opposi the expense of a convention. At this tion t.o union~ at. t.hat time was active time it "';1laS decided to hold COllVentions and bitter. The obstacles seemed in biennially. surmountable. Hearts less courageous The panic of 1893 which lasted through would have given up in despair. It took. 1894 and out of a total of forty-nine Lo real red blooded men to go ahead with cals November 1st, 1893, twenty-nine of it, but the backbone was there and today them went to pieces. To quote from the thousands upon thousands of our mem report of Grand Secretary-Treasurer J. T. bers enjoy the fruits of the courage and Kelley hard times. however, has not been the visions of that gallant little band who the only cause at work. Internal dis staked their all that those who followed sension caused by various prejudices and them might have less of hardship and dishonest and incompetent Officers had more freedom in their economic lives. far more to do with the breaking up of At this convention, Henry Miller was Locals than the hard times. At" this time elected First Grand President and J. the life of the Brotherhood trembled in Berlowitz Past Grand President, J. T. the balance, but passed through the crisis Kelley Grand Secretary-Treasurer, .T. successfully. Harting First Grand Vice President, T. The following convention, however, Heizleman, Second Grand Vice President, showed the effect of the times through T . .T. Finnell Third Grand Vice President, which they had passed. When it opened and they started in to do business with November 11th, 1895, at Typographical as much enthusiaism as if there were Temple, Washington, D. C., there were half a million backing them up with the eleven delegates in attendance and eight result that one year later, Xovember 14, (8) Locals represented by proxy out of a 1892, at the Chicago Convention there total of forty-nine Locals in good stand were twenty-four Locals represented and ing.

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