LABOR: Open Road
The Construction, General Labor & MaterialHandlers Union (A. F. of L.) had a closed-shop contract for work onpart of Pennsylvania's new, $60,000,000 Dream Highway (Harrisburg to Pittsburgh). This meant that farmers in Somerset County, who do spare-time work on the roads for extra cash, had to join the union and pay $15 initiation fees in order to get jobs. Six-foot, two-inch Farmer Victor Glessner organized his fellows, smashed the union's county headquarters, ran two organizers away, had another indicted for waving a pistol at protesting ruralites. Having effectively opened the closed shop, Farmer Glessner & friends then organized the Somerset County Independents, vowed to keep the job closed to unions.
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