Slate Industry Organizations
 "Binding men on their honor would not work." - Poultney Journal Editor RJ Humphrey, c. 1880

 The Slate Industry

   The Slate Industry has often experienced cycles of “boom and bust.” These cycles of prosperous times followed by times of desperation greatly influenced the lives of quarry workers and owners. While many workers were willing to accept a pay decrease during times of desperation, they argued that it was unfair when their pay was not increased to share the profits of prosperous times.
In an effort to combat the constant “boom and bust” cycles many quarry owners would create “trusts” or associations to fix prices and set employment terms. Often these trusts would agree to set low wages for employees and forbade members of the trust from hiring workers that were part of a union or had been involved in a strike. These organizations were often short-lived due to fierce competition and mistrust between the members.

Vermont Slate Trust (1888 - 1894)

The Vermont Slate Trust was one of the most successful slate producers organizations in the slate valley. Its aim was to set prices in an attempt to control the volatility of the “boom and bust” economy of slate quarrying. When slate prices were high the trust produced more slate to meet that demand, and when prices dropped the trust members agreed to limit production. Members of the trust also agreed to set wages and to eliminate the practice of luring away workers from neighboring quarries with higher wages. A few months after its creation the trust was comprised of 35 quarries owned by eleven members, representing 88% of sea-green slate producers in the region. However, the Panic of 1893 sent shockwaves through the slate industry and a combination of mistrust and desperation proved to be the end of the Vermont Slate Trust.

 

 Vermont & New York Slate Manufacturers' Association (c. 1880) 

The Vermont and New York Slate Manufacturers' Association (SMA) recognized the power of organizing when in 1883 they decided to lower wages and to pay by the hour instead of the day. This effectively ended a traditional arrangement in which workers would be paid a full day’s wage for working a half-shift on Saturdays (also known as a “king”). This move by the SMA was not only alarming to their workers, but also insulting. Representatives of the Association were apparently unaware of the bubbling resentment, noting that “The workmen will no doubt accept the situation as sensible men.” In response a strike was planned to begin on November 1, 1882, the same day the new wage was to go into effect.

  National Slate Association (1922 - Current)

The National Slate Association is a non-profit organization with the goal to promote slate in North America, and to promote the highest standards of materials and installation. Originally founded in 1922, the NSA stagnated for years before being reorganized in 2002. Today, the National Slate Association has dozens of members across several states and countries. They provide resources for slate producers and consumers, publish informational documents, and keep a portfolio of completed slate projects.
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