Speaking for Labor: <i>Utah Labor News</i>, 1917–1937

Utah's labor history has been described in terms of extremes. On the one hand, Utah's coal- and metal-mining workers made the state a center for the radical Industrial Workers of the World, or Wobblies, in the early twentieth century. On the other, the influence of the conservative Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints identified the state closely with the closed-shop movement and anticommunist crusades of the 1920s. This emphasis on the opposite poles of Utah labor can obscure the mainstream. In an attempt to broaden our understanding of Utah's labor movements, this essay offers a close reading of the Utah Labor News (ULN), the newspaper of Utah's State Federation of Labor (USFL), from 1929 to 1935. This official channel of communication provides a more nuanced picture of AFL state politics, demonstrates the variety of means unions used to reach their membership, and documents the rising tensions between craft and industrial unionists. The newspaper functioned as the mouthpiece of Utah's labor movement at a critical juncture, helping workers find their voices and articulate their demands. The goal here is principally to understand how the USFL framed contemporary issues through its official communication channels. In the process, we gain a clearer sense of the AFL's diverse membership, local differences, and wide range of political thought, particularly before 1935.Despite increased scholarly interest in labor history and labor journalism over the past decade, the role of state and local AFL-affiliated newspapers remains significantly understudied. Radical journalism tends to capture the scholarly imagination, while the AFL retains its reputation as a “conservative” organization, due to its exclusive (skilled, white, male) membership, emphasis on “business unionism,” and staunch anticommunism.1 Utah's labor press during the Great Depression suggests that it is time to revisit that interpretation.A publication under the title Utah Labor News was published in Salt Lake City from 1917 until 1920, and again from 1929 to 1944 by M. I. Thompson. From 1929 to 1935, it served as the official publication of the USFL. As such, it offers a unique window into the conditions, struggles, obstacles, and victories of Utah's labor movement, as well as the growth, policies, and problems of the USFL, all from the sympathetic perspective of labor. In 1935, due to both personal and political conflicts, the ULN lost the USFL's official endorsement, but Thompson continued to publish the newspaper until at least 1944. After 1935, the USFL endorsed both The Labor Broadcast of Salt Lake City and the Utah Trades Journal of Ogden as its official newspapers.Founded in 1904, the USFL led a precarious existence until the early 1930s. Scholars have suggested a number of reasons for this, including ruthless owner resistance to unionization of their workforce, the often at-odds political goals and strategies of the USFL's diverse members, a high immigrant population among miners, and economic instability in the mining industry.2 Indeed, the labor history of Utah is closely tied to mining. The Western Federation of Miners (WFM), a radical labor union that organized the miners and smelter workers of the Rocky Mountain states, was created in 1893. The WFM had a reputation for violent strikes and militant action, and it aroused hostility, violence, and repression from mine owners as well as state authorities and the federal government. The WFM joined the AFL in 1896, but conflicts with the AFL's more conservative policies caused the WFM to withdraw the following year and, in 1898, to attempt to organize a rival federation, the Western Labor After the of the the WFM to organize the Industrial Workers of the in The WFM from the and the AFL in In the WFM its to the of and Workers as the number of labor newspapers tends to and with the of organized the Utah Labor News through newspaper by that title publication on in Salt Lake at the time a of including an The Salt Lake that Utah a by the Salt Lake Federation of made its in Salt Lake by a of the was by and by The in 1917 a to the Utah Labor The Salt Lake on that of for by the of had the was as the it is to the USFL to publish and a labor in the of labor and labor on the the of the twentieth more radical the USFL. On and again on of the union at the of the Latter-day was by its in the year the Western Federation of Miners the the State Federation to the in the The in In the history of the labor movement, the the and the of our state and have been used in the interest of of in the interest of of it we the as a state we in the of that we the the of the from the of in and the labor movement was and more radical at the time the State Federation its for the Utah Labor strikes have for the labor In the Western Federation of Labor a at the and in union and a The one of On miners, of and the again a union and an to the from and from Salt Lake all the and and all and The to the Federation or with the of the The as the and a the to a both the Salt Lake newspapers with the Utah's labor a the newspapers with and to workers during labor this and to union of Utah's workers a of their of Utah's labor movement in the of a of was and labor to the state labor was in including the of State Industrial a and an of workers the to organize into the to and the to of the reasons the Industrial was created was to labor that and can both the and the an to the have been with we have been the means of the State of and more through strikes and organized labor in Utah had its and was in state issues of the ULN from through 1917 this The ULN under its by the Salt Lake Federation of Labor in the of the and for by and by both of the Salt Lake the ULN to have the an of the and by the for in and publication in and was by the The USFL endorsed the as the official of labor at the in the that endorsed the and the of the AFL for at the USFL and a the and that to a labor to and by the Salt Lake is to a role in this but the of the ULN in 1917 was of the Utah Labor at an on a in the labor press in the early twentieth century. press is the of the and to the of the and conditions, it the to a that the of the workers to the that labor to the of but to to their before the of The in of the 1917 issues on of the of in the newspapers and the by the or industrial that during a in the a of an to that mining from the state for a and a on that of of The for an to the Utah that a of by a of of The of a mine at the the at the time of the press to publish the but to it was during the in an to the that a to and that the the is in a described the as of the workers it was used by the owners of to or the a of The suggested that of of the in to and to to the that has been to by Salt Lake City the of of the Workers to and and by the of for union and framed for a at the on in the the Utah of for interest on their while the in the The was to the of until had for in the to or to at the to their at a interest The on as a to that the workers for state for the it is for we have that of This and the between owners and workers is of the the Wobblies, and the all of among Utah miners at the that between and was a in mining between the and the for in Utah and one in in and Salt Lake City between and the in and during this The influence of the WFM that of the from to 1917 in the to from the of the The as on the and in as in the union to the of union the union and and by union labor and the of of and mine for and The ULN of as well as in the of the In the issues from workers in This is in the AFL organized white, workers in craft unions and workers as or an labor that As such, the AFL often and for a on a a and in the of workers or miners, from As a workers in the state In of union In as union that number to to over the decade, but of unions and of into the between the USFL and the and the that both in the In the Federation and the the of a to the in to on politics, and the ULN in the ULN the of the State Industrial with the of labor and as a The was among with the mine and labor The of the ULN with of union and before the The ULN for political and is the early was by the ULN for before to Ogden in to a labor the Western Labor had been a for the Salt Lake and and the Ogden was of the the was to a of for Salt Lake City was for before the state for The in publication through under of the Utah and the Utah in the 1920s. is to publication in 1920, but it was an for labor newspapers to the ULN the a of and and the of union to a labor the decade, in unions from to the labor and for The continued with the of the Great the number of while their and issues of the ULN between 1917 and but Utah's that of mining and State the in the the in Salt Lake The and by one mining was in in more a in of by of that the economic through but that the labor movement in Utah during the due to the of as well as of the the of the of the of and the of to in the Utah in the the USFL was of labor and led a conservative that at with Indeed, in USFL of the labor of Utah for the of radical that it is to and have to for a and In the USFL for conservative and in to between organized labor and of the for the of the USFL, both that the 1929 in the of as well as in and in the led to for Utah's the of the Great Depression and its on in the labor in their to reach Utah's workers through the In the ULN In an in a a labor the the Salt Lake the of the Utah Labor a The was in 1929 to the in Salt Lake City of labor I. Thompson. in the of on Thompson led a early was a of the and published the Journal from to In M. the in to federal in Thompson for before and with in and was in to and to in the federal at Thompson the newspapers for and the while in in Salt Lake in or 1929 to and was to by the of a with the Salt Lake Thompson was of the USFL, and the its the that the had been in 1929 and was the official publication of the USFL and the of and it was with the State the ULN was and published by as we caused at during the issues of the ULN from with through The was in and the of the ULN to the political The a the of and the by the state on on high and for a and the Thompson on and The USFL's on as the USFL a to reach an the of USFL an of political on the from through the on state In USFL endorsed for Salt Lake City high and to high of the to during the to for to a and the have a to as an In M. a USFL for and of the at the by the the of the of Salt of the to into militant unions and an for and the of and the of On the of the Federation of on the The a of the but an and goal of the of the Depression as a to the The continued the the of the including and the of The demonstrates the USFL's to reach workers the a variety of including workers have been to an USFL on politics, the and from a labor and of the USFL of the and and its to the in Thompson increased the of the from to one year for The following to of the that Utah Labor News is in the or that this to the labor movement have to The local labor unions to more to this the increased or the number of unions the its again to in have of a for the of and means of the Utah Labor we have of to Thompson due to has the of the Utah labor movement by in the past and it a we to is to to the of and the is to have the time and it to the Utah Labor News and the Labor in the with Thompson to the of the ULN caused a a of the in local the the its and the for while the USFL, including Thompson and the endorsed the In the of the the USFL it to to that the Labor News had to the a the to that the the USFL, and the Ogden Trades and Labor all and The ULN have from that have it on but the the of the ULN can with the and of the Federation of Utah the in the the and a of in the state with in the lost to while lost the for the that the ULN was and to by the of the Federation of by political as a on economic policies and the of the The in created a for labor that workers the to and their to with their The Labor of and the of the for labor in both in by labor unions as well as a and a to In the USFL the in and the the ULN the of Utah's labor movement and its on the and labor Utah politics, and as the of a the conservative the and the between craft and industrial by the of the in Depression Utah particularly in and mining. In Utah's the in the and for the as a it had by and the by by and by it had to of its the of of the all or of their and from of Utah's had and had increased by The AFL to the by for to to the a to a and a in The ULN the USFL's of of the but of a more radical of and including and of and on the of of a union of a to the of and of a political and of In the USFL was more radical the that the USFL to its in the early 1930s. from to an of union in the state by the of the the of in by a for the Salt Lake City Labor The State Federation was through the of the of to AFL that was in to and a as a picture and Federation during the USFL and the AFL the 1930s. The in the on to to and of the Industrial and described while the of the of and the to and the number of the of the Workers of the Federation of the the and and the had the but industrial mining on the policies to their the and the and influence to the of the craft unions in the USFL and to of the unions of the in the the USFL a number of to the of Utah's In an to Thompson with to of a and The to the of the and the to for a was the Federation with the of Utah to the to a personal with the goal of the from their The state by the including a for for and in for the and an the Utah state labor in the that federal and the state to federal the Utah the Utah and the Labor The a goal of the USFL, made in the and the of to or in labor The Utah made the state to all the federal in the The to the State Industrial to the of for and the of to and through of their from the or of the Utah Labor the as the The a in the state in the the Utah as that had unionization for of the state to the USFL, In the Federation for to of the in the state state on the while the of and the state to strikes or labor The Federation with with the of the and the of The state continued to of this the for union in the In the more from in to of this from organized in and of The political of union in the of and labor to a political that their and their to After the in the of a their problems and to their the of 1935, the had a number of to the of the to the was and of in the Utah Thompson that the had in been for the the the the mining and all for the the by the the have to the of of the population of this and to the of the population of the Thompson that the goal of the was the of the of this and that the and of the of the was radical and but it is that for the economic and of the of goal was to and workers of this state from their of economic in the newspaper the USFL's until the workers of a the a of the to the that the to to and of the The ULN that the of the and of and a that on of the of the labor movement in Utah was the of its In to of the union movement, Thompson on the in the their to influence both state and and their to the The ULN during the of on the of the and the the of created a to influence in of mining and and variety of in The of the in the with the goal of the Thompson a on the and in continued to in the to organize union and On 1935, the that in of the and to the of the and for for the Utah was by the of labor and a political and by the Thompson to the of the more from the had but the USFL between the of workers and of had and economic and political The ULN to in the created to influence in both Utah and in the of the in to of both and the of the the of and the Thompson on the of under in the Utah including a of on issues of interest to labor. the the ULN the in the and the the of the of close as the on and the the the ULN on Utah labor and political as in the of a the Utah was by of the to the of the to the and in the state and made it for to find to the one industrial had been made in the was in the of the USFL and of the in the Utah labor movement in as for the State Industrial and as union and and and for the State Industrial to with labor particularly the was at and to the labor but to on a with our to the of The following the Salt Lake that the was in of the for and in the that Thompson during the that a has in into of the of the state has with all the means we have at the and of the this as had been Utah to organize on the of and and the for the labor movement to reach to was to the organized labor at the of Utah that to the USFL to in their to organize the but to in that the for the Utah at this the Thompson that the of is a in Salt Lake This to the of the union movement in the of the existence of the the have have under to organize more to unions and that the for our movement that have to by in the The on to as a of The in 1935, the an the Thompson was in the AFL for a title that a had the past AFL to for a but the to with had been was had official in the AFL until the of 1935. that the of the Trades for a of all the of and unions to a of on for until in the Federation of of Labor was The of the union and political that labor in and and the of as USFL and as of the ULN had created in Utah labor history of the USFL the political that to the in 1935, of it due to conflicts, to political The in the of that Thompson had been by a of over and that the ULN endorsed as the official a to all and but personal a between the the of 1935, Thompson had lost the of the and of the labor the Thompson was on from the to the and the was In a more the to the ULN as the official of City that the ULN had the and to the Salt Lake that the a the Thompson with in political and of the official labor had Thompson to among USFL the of the both personal and political conflicts between Thompson and the as well as of the ULN to In over to for political created between and of the State Industrial as State of of the Thompson for the Thompson again to have but the for the Thompson for and used the ULN to that was a Thompson was a and published in the conflicts the of a of labor and the of the to of the the USFL. that particularly of the State Federation was with to their attempt to Thompson at the in but Thompson made their attempt for the official to this was at the of and in its of the Thompson again used the ULN to as the that personal with to the of the on 1935. as USFL was in the was in for by M. of the City by a of to In 1935, the USFL endorsed the Labor the of the Ogden Trades as its official this Thompson continued to and publish the the USFL, perspective remains for understanding state and labor of the issues the USFL, and the AFL was the of the in and its from the AFL in the of miners in Utah's labor movement and of the the state offers a of the The Labor as the official publication of the USFL, endorsed AFL The an the of the the on 1935, and its with the The was of of the and the of Utah's high for the in 1935, the ULN a by the of the and a of the that to organize workers in into craft unions had one this that the goal of the was to the to the the AFL to unions organized on an industrial the workers or a under a to the of On the ULN the on the the AFL that the and its of a to with On the Thompson the of the In of labor unions to to union in the that industrial was the means of the and Thompson was the of the and AFL to the and to and of the in the and the labor a the Thompson that the of the that their goal was to organize workers in the and of the and with the of The to on their or attempt to influence union to its of In Thompson the of or to or was to their goal was to the AFL by the Thompson at their and more in of the to the of the AFL's the to Thompson the and early and from labor the The an from the official of the that the of and suggested that the of the to the of union The following Thompson to the in a in an to the of The of a from the to the AFL that the to the its to and its to for the AFL's in the In Thompson a craft was in Utah of one of workers to organize by that was union for workers to On the AFL to the that had in and this movement and of the Federation of On the of the unions with the for the demonstrates the of the with AFL a variety of on the In of the labor was in the and by the the was particularly Thompson to ULN that craft and industrial unions and the as in a Thompson their in the of unions on their the AFL to the the an in the with In the AFL all continued the rival on the terms of The News on the AFL state that in a of the USFL, from the increased to the from to The was and on In the the with a to the of Industrial for Thompson had a in the The of the ULN was the to from the AFL News The a in of the and as it its of the while the The the of Thompson that of workers have a to the Federation of and into of the and unions with the for Industrial the and of the as well as the in the and Thompson the AFL of and while the all in the Thompson for in for a labor movement of both craft and industrial in the of the of and the I. the through The following on the that the ULN the News a This in a particularly but it the between the AFL and the was a to labor from the to for the Thompson AFL by of the Labor of by and in the to for In the union to for and to labor at all of government. was an of the and was by the in 1944. AFL USFL a at the state the but that the of political was in with the Utah State Federation and in organized labor in As of Utah's Thompson was and as in the state that published the ULN for but the from The offers as to the The the of the AFL of a from the Thompson that the following the of the of of labor is The of the and from the a labor that to more labor newspapers and that the AFL for in the early Thompson to the political in the In the ULN was for for and is of the that was an of the an in by the Salt Lake and the News to the of and of state and local labor can on how local and policies of labor This of the Utah Labor the official publication of the USFL for and an for labor for both and scholarly of AFL in an the as the of the Utah State Federation of continued to publish of and through the AFL is a “conservative” the ULN to that to the 1920s. the ULN the we that the USFL a more conservative during that the Great Depression and the of in a for labor. its in the ULN in state and often an to the that the AFL from political the of the the ULN a perspective on including to the and of unionization in the early state politics, and in The early the of political among labor and the between craft and industrial 1935. As the ULN made in the early twentieth the USFL was to a wide variety of political and labor to conflicts and between and more conservative in the and in the early as the the of the USFL of Utah's of to craft the of the industrial state the ULN can into the role of and often on a but have had a more in their local the ULN documents the of labor and unionists. labor and into the and of the of while to how AFL policies and to local