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UNION RECOGNITION.Messrs. Dunsmuir and Faulds,of the Alexandra coal mine at Nanaimo, early in the week met a committee of the miners to discuss a scale of wages which would be acceptable to the men. Sixty-six cents a ton of 2352 pounds was finally agreed upon. The men in mass meeting confirmed the agreement made by the committee and now the mines will be re-opened at once.An incident occurred in the conference, however, which has a bearing of its own on the outlook for labor unions in this province. Lionel Terry, the secretary of the union at Nanaimo, was introduced to Mr. Dunsmuir just outside the hall, but Mr. Dunsmuir said, “I do not want to see the man at all,” and later he declared that, while he had no objection to meeting a committee of his own workmen, he did not want to meet a delegation from the union. He was prepared, he said, to employ union men, but declined to have anything to do with Mr. Terry, so that official retired and the agreement mentioned was come to.Mr. Dunsmuir is the premier of British Columbia, the head of the provincial government and his attitude towards labor is therefore of interest. We do not know if there had previously been any feeling between the union and the premier or if his objection is the usual one formulated by managers and the executive heads of industrial corporations whenever a conference is asked for or suggested.Why could not Mr. Dunsmuir confer with the union as a body? Would it result in any loss of dignity on the premier’s part? or would it bind him thereafter to anything he could object to—as a precedent?Where compulsory arbitration has been worked out satisfactorily, not only is the union recognized, but its system forms a part of the whole scheme. If unions were recognized and dealt with by capitalists and managers a great deal more than they now are, it would Bave a lot of unnecessary friction and in the long run prove undoubtedly of immense value to both parties concerned. Wherever it has been tried it has seldom, if ever, been found to do otherwise than work well and satisfactorily to all concerned, and the neglect of it has at times been responsible for protracted and useless contentions.By all means recognize the unions and hold them responsible for what follows.
Newspaper Details
Rossland Evening World
Rossland, British Columbia, CA
Fri, Jun 14, 1901
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Marinus L.
NZ 26 Nov 2021
Other Publications Near Rossland, British Columbia
Rossland Saturday World
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