Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-11-10
REGALIA WORKERS REPLY
To Statement Published by Manage
ment of Tri-City Company.


Rock Island H.. Nov 9.-Editor Ar
gus: As YOU published in Tuesday
nights edition of your paper the com
pany'S side of the regular workers
strike. will you please publish this
answer from the employees. The com
many claims that in August last they
were confronted with a revision of the
piece work scale of compensation
which was unjust and arbitrary" This
we positively deny. The new scale of
wages differed in but few instances
from the contract of d year ago, which
was entirely satisfactory TO the COM
pany, and these were articles on which
the company placed extra work. The
employees have never complained Of the
many little instances where the con-
tract has not been strictly complied
with-suCh as incomplete and imper-
feet cutting-l2ck of work due to an in
sufficient number Of cutters which
caused loss of time to employees, etc.
In regard TO the Labor day orders,
we wish to state that we have nothing
to do with the financial part of the
firms business, and we know nothing
as TO their orders. 1t was at the in
stigation of the firm that the girls were
first organized in order to obtain the
union label. which materially increased
their business. The uniforms over
which this controversy has arisen had
nothing to do whatsoever with the La
Dor day orders.
In regard TO stand and deliver
policy" may we state that at the ex-
piration of the old contract July 80. the
employees wished to discontinue the
union, as they had not been benefited
by it. But that the employers prom
Used to do better by the en-
ployes. and as they needed the label
the contract was renewed with but few
changes as above stated. They signed
this contract and everything was salts
factory until after the present order
of duck uniforms was under way. At
of the amount of work turned out in
day: if they were dissatisfied with
the time work. why did they not pay
the piece work scale or discharge those
they considered incompetent. which
they certainly had a perfect right to 40
at any time. We deny that the piece
work scale was eXorbitant and we
wish to state that more work was re-
CURED on each uniform than contract
Icailed for. Regarding time work. the
employees did all in their power to
satisfy their employers. The EN-
plOyers knew the amount of work we
were capable Of doing in a day and
figured the piece work scale according
ly. which accounts for them (the firm
not getting their work done cheaper at
time work. The firm makes a mistake
when comparing our work. which is
made 10 order. with that done for the
commercial trade in nOn-union fac
tories and sweat shops" in larger
cities. In regard to the "socialistic ten
denotes unionism and politics are two
different subjects and we do not deem
il necessary TO bring it into our labor
discussion. The employees are per
fectly aware of the fact that the Tri-
City Regalia company is a great advan-
.tage to the city of Rock Island, and we
have always had the interests of our
employers at heart. We have asked
for nothing but that the signed con-
tract be complied with, and consider it
the sacred duty of both employees
and employers TO live up To their word.
Respectfully.
REGALIA < BADGE WORKERS
UNION. No. 11159.
Miss Carrie Orman, Sec