FEB. 1, 1909 The Daily Phoenix

Plan T & L Council

Union Men of city declare in favor of idea

Meeting held Yesterday at Organiser Kinney of Carpenters, assiated in deliberations of members of various Local Labor Unions – Another Meeting Called

The first meeting toward the formation of a trades and labor council for Saskatoonwas held on Sunday. Mr. J. A. Kinney, organiser for the Brotherhood of Carpenters, was chairman, and Mr. A. B. Jones secretary. Representatives of the following labor organisations were present: Plumbers and Steamfitters, Electrical Workers. International Association of Machinists, Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engineers, Bricklayers, Brotherhood of Carpenters.

Several other organisations have signified their willingness to assist in the formation of a trades and labor council.

The representatives present expressed themselves at some length on the objects of the formation of such an organisation, and set forth the value of having the interests of the wage earners of the city united. The following resolution was adopted unanimously:

“That the meeting endorse the idea of forming a Trades and Labor Council in Saskatoon and that the representatives present report back to their local unions the substance of meeting, and that the local unions be requested to send delegates to a meeting to be held on Feb 15”

The intention is to procure a charter from the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada.
The Daily Phoenix Monday, February 1, 1909


The Daily Phoenix Wednesday, February 17, 1909

FORM LABOR COUNCIL

UNION MEN OF CITY WILL APPLY FOR A CHARTER

Officers Elected with W. H. Youhill Elected First President - Good of Working Men will be Served Declared the Speakers

A trades and labor council has been formed in the city and application will at once be made for a charter from the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada. The preliminary steps for the formation of the council were taken last night when delegates from the various trade unions of the city met to report and come to some decision on the matter. The reports given were favorable and officers were elected temporarily to hold office until the first of June. W. H. Youhill, who acted as chairman, was elected president; A. Chesser, vice-president, and T. J. Johnstone, secretary-treasurer. An executive of four was appointed to draft out the constitution by which the council will be governed, apply for a charter, and fix the time and place of meeting. On the executive are A. B. Jones, A. Brown, J. Burns and J. N. Henderson.
A representative of the Typographical union, on behalf of that body, offered to finance the undertaking until such time as the charter is secured, and the plan was adopted. Some discussion arose over the fact that there are in town men who belong to a union but who have no local organization in connection with their trade. Provisions will be made in the constitution whereby such members of unions will be privileged to sit in the council. W. H. Youhill and A. Chesser, as experienced members of other councils, spoke of the importance of the step taken and of the advantage it would be in the future to the working men of the city.



Wednesday March 17, 1909

TRADES AND LABOR
COUNCIL TAKE STAND ON IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

Endorse Regina Resolutions for Government Owned Townsites, Protest Against Aiding Salvation Army Workers and in Asking for Fair Wage Officer for the West

There was a very good attendance of delegates from the various local unions present at the regular fortnightly meeting of the Trades and Labor Council last evening, and much business of importance was gone through.
President Youhill was in the chair and all the other officers were in place, and with the exception of one or two unions who have not met since the last meeting of council, all the local unions were represented with accredited delegates.
The principal business of the evening was the adoption of a constitution and by-laws. This matter had been left in the hands of the executive committee, and they, after having gone carefully into the constitutions in for in various cities of the Dominion, decided to recommend the adoption of the one in use in Winnipeg with a few minor alterations. The recommendation of the committee was concurred in by the council. An important alteration from the original was the basis of representation. After some discussion it was decided to allow each affiliated union three delegates for a membership of 25 or less and an additional delegate for each twenty or majority fraction over that number. In case where a union has ten members or less, if it so desires its representation may be reduced to two delegates with a proportionate decrease in the amount of per capita payable.
Provision is also made for the union men of any trade which has no local organization, the basis of representation being one delegate for the first five and under ten; two for ten and under fifteen and three after the latter number has been reached.

Government Owned Townsites
Three important resolutions sent by the Regina council for endorsation, and these received favorable consideration. The first on was in favor of government ownership of townsites, and wound up with a request to the provincial government that all townsites on railways aided by the province be under the control of the government.

Protest Against Aid to S.A. Men
Another was a protest against the proposal to aid the Salvation Army or any other organization in bringing out immigrants, and it was decided to enter this protest with the provincial government.

Ask for Fair-Wage Officer
The third was a recommendation for the appointment of a fair-wage officer for the western provinces, as it was felt that the workers of the west were not being given sufficient attention by the present Dominion fair-wage officer. In connection with the latter a delegate from the Carpenters' union reported having an interview with the city board of works with respect to having a fair-wage clause inserted in all city contracts, but the carpenters had been given a "turn-down," especially by one of the representatives of the Riversdale ward, who, the delegate said, stated he had had relations with trades unions for twenty years, and never found any of them any good.

Council to Hear More
This statement brought several of the delegates to their feet, and it is evident from what was said that the board of works and city council have not heard the last of the matter by any means.
It was decided to hold a formal pubic opening meeting in about a month's time and to invite several prominent local men to address the council on that occasion. A general invitation will also be extended to the public, and it is likely a program will be arranged.
Taken all in all, the first regular meeting of Saskatoon Trades and Labor Council was a success in all respects.



Wednesday, June 2, 1909

TRADES AND LABOR

A public meeting is to be held tomorrow night in St. John's hall under the auspices of Saskatoon Trades and Labor Council by way of formally opening the council, which was organized about two months ago. Amongst the speakers expected to be present are Hon. A. P. Pettipiece, general organizer of the trades and labor congress of Canada; Ed. Stephenson, general organizer for the American Federation of Labor; W. B. Best, chairman of the B. of L. E., Winnipeg; Hugh Peat, vice-president of the trades and labor congress of Canada; J. A. Kinney, organizer of the brotherhood of carpenters.
At the regular semimonthly meeting of the trades and labor council held last night in Dulmage hall the following officers were elected for the year: President, A. Chesser; vice-president, Mr. Jones; treasurer, G. Cole; recording-secretary, W. Baker; financial secretary, Mr. Carter.
The new labor union organized on Saturday night will hold its regular meeting next Friday evening in Dulmage hall for the transaction of business.



The Evening Capital Friday, June 4, 1909

LARGE MEETING OF WORKINGMEN

ST. JOHN'S HALL PACKED WITH LOCAL WORKERS WHO LISTEN TO INSTRUCTIVE ADDRESSES FROM LABOR LEADERS

The total capacity of St. John's hall was totally inadequate, last evening, to accommodate the large number of members of the different local trades unions who turned out for what the chairman termed the first open meeting since the completion of the organization of the Saskatoon Trades and Labor Council. By eight o'clock every seat was filled, and for the preceding hour, even despite many counter attractions, dozens of workingmen were turned away, unable to gain admittance. The gathering certainly bore testimonial to the fact that the workingmen of the city are alive to their interests, and the speeches of the leaders during the evening gave evidence of the remarkably rapid growth of trades unionism in Saskatoon, and the realization of the hopes of the promoters on a scale even greater than they had anticipated.
Last nights affair was presided over by President A. Chesser, of the local Trades and Labor Council, and seated on the platform with him were the Hon. A. P. McNab, Mayor Hopkins, Ed. Stephenson, official organizer of the American Federation of Labor; T. F. Johnstone, of the federated trades of the C.N.R.; J. Brown, president of the Carpenters' union; W. Jones, local organizer for the American Federation of Labor; Messrs M. A. McInnes, Martin, J. A. Aikin, of the Phoenix, and G. M. Thompson of The Capital, and the Rev. I. H. Wood, pastor of the Baptist church.
In opening President Chesser gave a brief outline of the progress of trades unionism in the city, explaining the objects of the meeting, and congratulating the workingmen upon the fact that a local trades and labor council was now an accomplished fact, there now being ten or twelve affiliated bodies. The council was organized but two months ago, when six enthusiastic trades unionists had met in The Capital office and taken the initial steps which had borne such good fruit that now nearly every branch of the different trades in the city had become amalgamated into one strong organization.
Mayor Hopkins, the first speaker introduced, received a warm reception from the audience. The mayor, in extending a welcome to the new organization as head of the city, declared that his sympathies were with the workingman in his efforts to better his conditions. He was a workingman himself, perhaps the hardest worked of any, and appreciated the value of such an organization. The present age was one of organization for mutual protection, and when all other classes were uniting for their general welfare he believed that the workingmen could not do better than follow their example. "If you do not look after your interests," declared the mayor, "no person else will."
Representative Martin, of the Trades and Labor Council advised the laboring man to take an interest in his own affairs. He deplored the fact that in the past the workingman had not received that consideration from political and civil authorities to which they were entitled, but, with the awakening of the worker to his own welfare, he predicted that the future would see a vast improvement in conditions. He declared that the function of a labor union was not to wage war, but to endeavor to settle all differences amicably, and by a united front to enforce just demands on the part of the laborer. No one deplored the necessity of strikes more than the trades unionist and he did not believe that the want-on destruction of property sometimes accompanying labor troubles could be traced to any member of the unions. He advised workingmen to respect the law, maintain order, and stand for justice, and with that as their motto there was no fair-minded tribunal in the existence which would not recognize their cause.
J. A. Aikin followed with a somewhat lengthy address, which he read from manuscript, and which dealt with the question of labor from an economic standpoint.
Organizer Stephenson, of the American Federation of Labor, in explaining the methods of organizing and sustaining unionism, delivered what was, perhaps, the best address of the evening. He believed that the laboring men should have their own representatives in the legislative bodies in the country, men who would represent labor as it should be represented. Mr. Stephenson dealt with the supposed breach between the church and the workingman, which he declared was due to a mutual misunderstanding on the part of both bodies, but he believed the future would see a change in the attitude of the church to the workingman, and vice versa.
A short, somewhat humorous speech by G. M. Thompson, of The Capital, was followed by a splendid address by Rev. I. H. Wood. Mr. Wood, in a most original way, paid several compliments to the press and local newspaper representatives present, and brought down the house by his references to the warfare engaged in by the local newspapers. The Baptist pastor had some things to say about the relations of the church and the workingman, and he gave some splendid advice to those who, through necessity, must earn their living and provide for the future. His sympathy, he said, was with the laborer, but at the same time the latter must stand for absolute justice and fairness, and there must be on common ground of justice and a feeling of fairness between man and man. "Why should the workingman be deprived of the luxuries of life?" asked the speaker. "I claim that the laborer is entitled to something more than merely enough to keep himself and family alive and sufficient clothing to cover the body." While the workingman owed much to his employer, the employer owed a good deal to the employed, and it was not sufficient for the man who employs labor to be content with paying the laborer his hire while engaged, and then letting him go at his own discretion when his services were no longer required. The employer must bear in mind the fact that the man who earned his daily bread was a human being, and there were certain responsibilities devolving upon him (the employer) which should be performed in the interests of those who were numbered among the laborers. Hon. A. P. McNab congratulated the workingmen of the city upon the success of their efforts upon lines of organization, as evidenced by the large number present, and the many different trades unions affiliated with the trades and labor council. The minister gave an amusing rehearsal of the various occupations he had followed during his lifetime, and dealt with the progress in labor legislation during the past few years, with particular reference to the different lien acts for the protection of workers. Mr. McNab declared he was not only a workingman himself, but was in sympathy with the aims of the trades and labor council, and pledged himself to do all in his power for the workingmen of the city. Mr. McNab's address brought the speech-making to a close, and, after a unanimous vote of thanks had been tendered to the speakers the most successful labor meeting in the history of the city was brought to a close by the chairman extending an invitation to those present to attend future meetings of the newly-organized Trades and Labor Council.
Owing to some unforeseen circumstances, R. P. Pettapiece, organizer of the Trades and Labor Council, and Hugh Pete, of the provincial executive, who were both expected to be in attendance, failed to turn up.



The Evening Capital Saturday, June 5, 1909

ORGANIZATION COMPLETE

New Saskatoon Federated Labor Union an Accomplished Fact

The organization of the new Saskatoon federated labor union was completed last night at a largely attended meeting in the Dulmage hall. The union has already grown to nearly a hundred members, and bids fair to attain treble this mark before mid-summer.
The following officers were elected pro term: President, Francis Hunts; first vice-president, George Melville; second vice-president, Miss Sczeroluam; recording and corresponding secretary, A. J. Sibley; financial secretary, William Spedding; treasurer, George Applebee; guide, J. Sprunt; sergeant-at-arms, John Boyd.
Noteworthy features of the meeting were the singularly unanimous class consciousness of the foreign-speaking laborers, with who joined en masse; the keen interest manifested in the better conduct of unskilled labor in the city, and the many questions asked concerning the principles of trade unionism.
Ed Stephenson, general organizer for the American Federation of Labor conducted the meeting, with the assistance of an energetic committee of the trades and labor council.
The next meeting of the union will be held on Friday, June 18, which any laborer interested may attend.



June 9-1909 Wednesday, The Evening Capital

Local Labor Notes

Delegation Last Night Presents Grievances of Strikers

Owing to the enforced absence of some members last night, the trades council executive committee postponed consideration of several important matters until another meeting Friday night , in the Iroquois hotel. A full attendance is very necessary.

A large delegation from the federated union brought up the question of the trench diggers' low pay, and dangerous working conditions. The union has called a special meeting for Saturday night, which will be a large one. Some arrangements for an overflow meeting have therefore been made.

It Is probable the city council will take up the matter tonight. If the aldermen express a desire to investigate, they will be assisted in every way by the trades council and the union.

Organiser Stephenson visited most of the sewer workings this morning, most men of all nationalities, most favorable to joining the union. In a few cases the contractors and foremen also wish to see the union strengthened. In tomorrow's issue more will be said of this matter.
The Evening Capital June 9, 1909


The Daily Phoenix Wednesday, August 8, 1909

ARRANGE LABOR DAY SPORTS

Meeting Last Night Showing Big Program Nearly Complete.

Preparations for the Labor Day parade and sports were advanced well toward completion at a meeting of the Trades and Labor Council last night. The parade committee reported that practically all the unions in the city will participate in the turnout on September 6; also that quite a number of merchants have signified their intention to have decorative floats in the parade. About 41 prizes have already been secured for the sport events exclusive of the marathon, bicycle, and 440 yard events, for which cups and medals have been donated by business men. An exhibition of the prizes will be made within a few days a R. J. Jeff's store on 21st street. Coming to general business the affiliation of the federal labor unions with the council was perfected. This union has 200 men in its membership, and will be represented in the council by five delegates. Another meeting of the council will be held on Monday next week to complete arrangements for the Labor Day celebration.