Quote Distorted View

I can easily see, from the two quotations included in his letter of Sept. 28 how Charlton Heston might form the impression that AFL founder Samuel Gompers favored the so-called right-to-work idea. Actually, however, Gompers was a lifelong opponent of the open shop, and linking him with the right-to-work movement is an example of the danger we get into when we quote people out of context. Heston’s first quotation--”No gain can come from compulsion”--dealt with an entirely different matter: Gompers warning the AFL convention never to let the AFL’s presidency fall into undemocratic hands.

Heston’s second quotation is at least more to the point, in that he correctly quotes Gompers as saying: “There may be, here and there, a worker who, for reasons unexplainable to us, does not join a union. This is his right, no matter how morally wrong he may be. It is his legal right, and no one can, or dare, question his exercise of that right.” In the very next sentence, however, Gompers reminds us that it was also “the right of the organized workers, who are making the sacrifice and bearing the brunt of every effort, to exercise their legal right.”

This includes the right to use their economic power to persuade the employer to adopt the union shop, as Gompers made clear over and over again. “The question is often asked,” Gompers posed in 1920, “ ‘why should a non-union man who secured employment in a union plant agree to join the union after he has proved his competency. Why should he not be at liberty to work as a non-union man?’ ”

And Gompers answered: “Wages in union shops are higher than in non-union shops. The hours of work are less, and the working conditions are more desirable.

“These are gained through the workers dealing with the employer collectively. Each member contributes a small sum to carry on the work of the union. Why should a non-unionist be permitted to enjoy the benefits gained without paying his share of the cost of securing them? It is a fundamental principle that those who are the beneficiaries of organization should share in the responsibilities and obligations involved in the achievements.”

STUART B. KAUFMAN

Editor, The Samuel Gompers

Papers

Department of History

University of Maryland