William Hutcheson
Encyclopedia
William Hutcheson was the leader of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
from 1915 until 1952. A conservative craft unionist
, he opposed the organization of workers in mass production industries such as steel and automobile manufacturing into industrial unions
. Under his administration the Carpenters Union grew by taking an aggressive stance toward other trade unions that claimed work that Carpenters also claimed. He took his union out of the American Federation of Labor
's Building Trades Department on several occasions when he was displeased by its ruling on jurisdictional disputes involving the Carpenters.
Hutcheson was one of the most vigorous exponents of craft unionism within the AFL, who not only opposed the organizing of industrial workers, but tried to prevent others from undertaking it. That conflict over the proper role of unions was symbolized by the famous punch — or shove — that John L. Lewis
delivered at the AFL’s convention in Atlantic City in 1935 after Hutcheson interrupted a speech by a representative of the committee that was attempting to organize tire factory workers with a point of order. Lewis responded that Hutcheson’s point of order was “small potatoes,” to which Hutcheson replied “I was raised on small potatoes, that is why I am so small.” Lewis left the podium and, after some more words, knocked Hutcheson down, then relit his cigar and returned to the rostrum. The incident — which was also “small potatoes,” but very memorable — helped cement Lewis’ image in the public eye as someone willing to fight for workers’ right to organize. Lewis led the United Mine Workers of America and a number of other unions out of the AFL to form the Congress of Industrial Organizations
two years later.
Hutcheson was highly conservative in his politics as well. He supported Republican candidates from Harding
to Eisenhower
and was a vocal opponent of the New Deal
, calling Roosevelt a "dictator" in 1936 and accusing him of condoning communist
subversion by refusing to support Martin Dies'
House Un-American Activities Committee
in 1940. He opposed federal legislation during the Great Depression
that would have reduced the working day to six hours and provided unemployment insurance and campaigned against Harry S. Truman
's proposal for national health insurance as "socialized medicine". He was also a member of America First
, the organization headed by Charles Lindbergh
that opposed any United States support for Britain or the Soviet Union
in the years before Pearl Harbor
.
Hutcheson did not allow for opposition to his administration: he revoked the charters of locals that did not follow his directions or that he believed to be "communistic". He took nearly 100,000 sawmill workers into the union in 1935, but only as second class members with no voting rights. His treatment of those locals and the union's failure to deliver effective leadership during several strikes in the Northwest led to their departure to join the CIO several years later. He did not permit the nomination of candidates to oppose him at one of the union's conventions and named his own son First Vice-President in 1938.
Hutcheson's outspoken politics may have played a role in the Roosevelt administration's attempt to convict Hutcheson and other union leaders for criminal violations of the Sherman Act in 1940. The government claimed that the union's traditional methods of protecting its members' work — jurisdictional strikes, resistance to work-displacing technology, and featherbedding
— were illegal restraints of trade. The United States Supreme Court upheld the district court's dismissal of the indictment in the first prosecution brought by the government in United States v. Hutcheson, , ending any further prosecutions of Carpenters officials.
Hutcheson retired in 1952. His son, Maurice Hutcheson, succeeded him.
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America is one of the largest building trades union in the United States. One of the unions that formed the American Federation of Labor in 1886, it left the AFL-CIO in 2001.-Early years:...
from 1915 until 1952. A conservative craft unionist
Craft unionism
Craft unionism refers to organizing a union in a manner that seeks to unify workers in a particular industry along the lines of the particular craft or trade that they work in by class or skill level...
, he opposed the organization of workers in mass production industries such as steel and automobile manufacturing into industrial unions
Industrial unionism
Industrial unionism is a labor union organizing method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union—regardless of skill or trade—thus giving workers in one industry, or in all industries, more leverage in bargaining and in strike situations...
. Under his administration the Carpenters Union grew by taking an aggressive stance toward other trade unions that claimed work that Carpenters also claimed. He took his union out of the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
's Building Trades Department on several occasions when he was displeased by its ruling on jurisdictional disputes involving the Carpenters.
Hutcheson was one of the most vigorous exponents of craft unionism within the AFL, who not only opposed the organizing of industrial workers, but tried to prevent others from undertaking it. That conflict over the proper role of unions was symbolized by the famous punch — or shove — that John L. Lewis
John L. Lewis
John Llewellyn Lewis was an American leader of organized labor who served as president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1920 to 1960...
delivered at the AFL’s convention in Atlantic City in 1935 after Hutcheson interrupted a speech by a representative of the committee that was attempting to organize tire factory workers with a point of order. Lewis responded that Hutcheson’s point of order was “small potatoes,” to which Hutcheson replied “I was raised on small potatoes, that is why I am so small.” Lewis left the podium and, after some more words, knocked Hutcheson down, then relit his cigar and returned to the rostrum. The incident — which was also “small potatoes,” but very memorable — helped cement Lewis’ image in the public eye as someone willing to fight for workers’ right to organize. Lewis led the United Mine Workers of America and a number of other unions out of the AFL to form the Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
two years later.
Hutcheson was highly conservative in his politics as well. He supported Republican candidates from Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
to Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
and was a vocal opponent of the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
, calling Roosevelt a "dictator" in 1936 and accusing him of condoning communist
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
subversion by refusing to support Martin Dies'
Martin Dies, Jr.
Martin Dies, Jr. was a Texas politician and a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives. His father, Martin Dies, was also a member of the United States House of Representatives.-Biography:...
House Un-American Activities Committee
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities or House Un-American Activities Committee was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. In 1969, the House changed the committee's name to "House Committee on Internal Security"...
in 1940. He opposed federal legislation during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
that would have reduced the working day to six hours and provided unemployment insurance and campaigned against Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
's proposal for national health insurance as "socialized medicine". He was also a member of America First
America First
America First may refer to:*America First Committee, a group that opposed entry of the United States into World War II*America First Credit Union, a credit union in Utah*America First Party , an isolationist political party...
, the organization headed by Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
that opposed any United States support for Britain or the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in the years before Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
.
Hutcheson did not allow for opposition to his administration: he revoked the charters of locals that did not follow his directions or that he believed to be "communistic". He took nearly 100,000 sawmill workers into the union in 1935, but only as second class members with no voting rights. His treatment of those locals and the union's failure to deliver effective leadership during several strikes in the Northwest led to their departure to join the CIO several years later. He did not permit the nomination of candidates to oppose him at one of the union's conventions and named his own son First Vice-President in 1938.
Hutcheson's outspoken politics may have played a role in the Roosevelt administration's attempt to convict Hutcheson and other union leaders for criminal violations of the Sherman Act in 1940. The government claimed that the union's traditional methods of protecting its members' work — jurisdictional strikes, resistance to work-displacing technology, and featherbedding
Featherbedding
Featherbedding is the practice of hiring more workers than are needed to perform a given job, or to adopt work procedures which appear pointless, complex and time-consuming merely to employ additional workers. The term "make-work" is sometimes used as a synonym for featherbedding.The term...
— were illegal restraints of trade. The United States Supreme Court upheld the district court's dismissal of the indictment in the first prosecution brought by the government in United States v. Hutcheson, , ending any further prosecutions of Carpenters officials.
Hutcheson retired in 1952. His son, Maurice Hutcheson, succeeded him.
External references
Further reading
- Galenson, Walter. The United Brotherhood of Carpenters: the First Hundred Years. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1983. ISBN 0-674-92196-8.
- Raddock, Maxwell C. Portrait of an American Labor Leader: William L. Hutcheson. New York City: Institute of Social Research, 1955.