Despite being located in the Jim Crow South the union was open to members of all races and women were granted membership in 1912.
[2][3] Members of Brotherhood had their work cut out for themselves, organizing an interracial union during Jim Crow in one of the largest industries in the South.
The Brotherhood of Timber Workers was known as having interracial membership at a time when racial segregation was increasing in many areas of the Deep South.
In response, owners and operators of sawmills in the southern pine region threaten to cut wages by 20% and increase working hours.
The poor working and living conditions on top of the unannounced pay cuts angered the sawmill workers, organized a large strike in response.
Emerson and Jay Smith began to recruit members for the Brotherhood of Timber Workers.
These firings coincided with mass walkouts of union members in some plants resulting in the SLOA's decision to shut down 23 mills in East Texas and Louisiana, effectively locking out the workers in an attempt to defeat the BTW before it could gain momentum.
The clash was not over but mill workers had won a small battle receiving a slightly higher wage.
Haywood addressed this problem in an attempt to unite the union, calling for black and white to join in one convention hall.
[9] The Lumber Operators' Association criticized the BTW as an anarchistic, race-mixing organization, in an attempt to diminish support among white workers.
They hired armed guards, essentially their own private police or militia, to keep organizers out.
Many of these guards were deputized by the local sheriff, providing an impression of legal sanction and creating a militarized environment.
What set Merryville apart from the rest of the mills operating during that time, was that the owner Sam Park "tolerated" the BTW.
Park was strongly disliked by SLOA and they criticized him for "treachery" for his refusal to shut down his mills during lockouts, and for tolerating the BTW.
The new management made clear their feelings towards the BTW by firing 15 employees that played a part in the Grabow Trial.