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The Brotherhood of Timber Workers (BTW) was a union of sawmill workers from East Texas and West Louisiana that organized by Arthur Lee Emerson and Jay Smith in 1910. The BTW was most famous for the Grawbow Riot, where they started strikes against the Galloway Lumber Company in Grabow, Louisiana. The Brotherhood of Timber Workers were also known for being interracial during a time of segregation and located in the deep south where racial tensions were high, and included males and females.〔Green, James R. "The Brotherhood of Timber Workers 1910-1913: A Radical Response to Industrial Capitalism in the Southern U. S. A." Past & Present No. 60, p.161〕 ==History== The BTW was created on the behalf of the terrible working conditions of the sawmills in the southern pine region. The labors for these mills were often dangerous and routine actions that relied on the endurance of the worker to keep the pace with the machines. This proved to be very dangerous working conditions for the sawmill workers. In 1919 there was a reported 125 deaths and 16,950 accidents that occurred in the southern lumber industry.〔Green, James R. "The Brotherhood of Timber Workers 1910-1913: A Radical Response to Industrial Capitalism in the Southern U. S. A." Past & Present No. 60, p.167〕 The poor working and living conditions on top of the unannounced pay cuts angered the sawmill workers. In 1910, lumberjacks Arthur Lee Emerson and Jay Smith began to recruit members for the Brotherhood of Timber Workers. They moved from camp to camp to recruit hundreds of black and white workers they quickly grew and the word spread rapidly. By the time they felt strong enough to come public they held their first convention in Alexandria, Louisiana. It was here where they drafted their constitution that extended membership to all races and sexes.〔Green, James R. "The Brotherhood of Timber Workers 1910-1913: A Radical Response to Industrial Capitalism in the Southern U. S. A." Past & Present No. 60, p.176〕 The creation of the BTW sparked the interest of the Southern Lumber Operators’ Association (SLOA). Their purpose was to prevent unions from rising in the lumber camps. Under a strict watch by John Henry Kirby the BTW’s formation was known. The clash began in 1911 when SLOA shut down 11 mills in De Ridder, Louisiana, locking out the workers in an attempt to defeat the BTW before it could gain momentum. This continued and mills were being shut down in the South and members of the BTW were being blacklisted. In order for workers to work again, the SLOA came up with a solution - they had to disown the union on paper called “yellow card” contracts or anti-union cards.〔Marquis, David, "The Brotherhood of Timber Workers Struggle for Recognition in the Deep South: A Time When the Law Should Be Broken.", p.10〕 Although this was one of the only ways for workers to gain their jobs back, most members refused and this made the union stronger. The attempts by the SOLA to crush the rising union had failed and mills were reopened. The clash was not over but mill workers had won a small battle receiving a slightly higher wage. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Brotherhood of Timber Workers」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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