Question

Read and reread the excerpt from We Shall Not Be Moved. The officers of Local 25 sent them on to the owners — along with one more demand, recognition of the union. This came to mean the "closed shop." Only union members can work in a closed shop, since the only way to set uniform wages and standards is to have the union do it; otherwise employers would always try to undercut one another. And the union can standardize the industry only when it controls the supply of labor through the union shop. What is the meaning of a "closed shop"?

Answer 1

a workplace or factory where only members of the union were allowed to work.

Step-by-step explanation:

A "closed shop" is a workplace or factory where only members of the union were allowed to work. They were powerful members of the factories who had the authority to demand uniform wages and standards to the owners.

During the time of protests and strikes by workers over workers' rights and standard wages, the union came into center stage. They could make strong demands and great influence over supply of labor. They helped in making the voice of the workers louder and heard to the capitalist owners.

Answer 2

A). A "closed shop" is a factory where all of the workers are union members.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of the given paragraph, a 'closed shop' here stands for 'a factory where all of the workers are union members,' This definition is clearly justified by the descriptions 'only union members are allowed to work in a closed shop.' The union would help in ensuring the appropiate functioning of this closed shop and the maintenance of standards by ensuring that all the members would work on a uniform wage so that there is no discrimination and no attempt of undercutting one another's rights. Thus, option A is the correct answer.