Rock Island Argus., 1911-04-07

Ter, r. .................E Elected.
he was deposed and William X Ev-
ans was made secretary of the execu-
tive committee. Evans was employ
ed at the automatic pearl button
factory where the pay roll shows
that his salary averaged S13 a week
Jennie Goff and Lucy Steinke. two
girls employed at the same plant,
earned an average salary of S12.
COMPLAINS OF STANDARD.
We've got to have an adjustment
of the standard of weights and
measures and recognition of the un-
ion,' said Evans yesterday I'VE
never know what standard we are
to be paid by. They insist that we
cut 168 buttons for a gross. claim
ing that at least two dozen of the
buttons are bad. But though the
bad buttons are counted against us,
the manufacturers sell them. We
think we ought to have a percentage
of the regular wage even for the
poor buttons.
Eve never know whether the
weighing is done properly. They
have a scale that I doubt if they
know themse when it works
properly. The girls never see their
buttons counted, and they don't
know when they are cheated and
when they are not
I'VE are having lovely time be-
longing to the union" said Miss
Margaret Loughlin. one of the strik-
ers and a high school graduate.
Some OF the girls have been sent
TO Davenport and Chicago and other
places to collect funds. 1t has been
exciting, sometimes. An engineer at
one of the factories shot at a crowd
that had gathered to watch some of
the nonunion girls come out, and
one of the bullets whizzed by one of
my friends. We don't know just
what is going to happen next"
WANT TO RESUME WORK.
81 am going to back to work Tues
day" said another girl. Il don't
want you to use my name because
will be jawed to death if anybody
knows. When they passed around
the paper for us TO sign we did it
Just for the fun of the thing. Now
we are tired. We would all be back
now II it hadn't been that they talk
at US so much all the time. They
have thrown eggs and ruined the
clothes of some Of the girls that did
go TO work. The factories are not
bad places to work and I don't see
what we will get by recognition of
the union. But maybe somebody
that knows more about it than 1 do
does see the point"
The manufacturers will not re-
cede from the position they have
taken in this matter" said H w
Huttig I'VE feel that we are in
the right and that the public gen.
orally is with US. We closed the
plant six weeks ago because the mar
ket demand for buttons had slumped.
After the factories were shut down
the union was organized. Then we
determined to open up again and
were met with the announcement
that the men and girls would not
come back to work unless we rec
ognized the unions.
MARKET PRECARIOUs ONE.
We sought permission to talk to
our former employees. This was de-
MED and the labor leaders said they
alone would confer with US as to ad- |
justment of difference after recpeni- !
ton OF the union.
mo industry In the country has
such a variable and precarious mar
ket as the button industry. Some 1
times we can not supply the demand /
and then we make money. On other 4
occasions we lose, because the mar
ket is nothing for months at a time. /
recently has cost a great /
deal and in many of the plants in .
Muscatine the earnings have simply .
gone back into the plants IN the /
shape OF improved devices for the 1
manufacture of buttons.
The labor Is unskilled labor. A 1
man or a girl may go into the fac /
tories and in six weeks be earning a 4
fair salary The entire city profits /
the presence Of the factories /
because the buttons are sent out TO /
the homes and there the whole fam
sly sevs them on cards. II has been I.
argued that this work should be done /
IN the factories, but that would be /
for there Is not room /
IN our plants TO care for all the peo-
pie who like TO earn & little money
that way. The manufacturers are
paying as good wages a. can be paid
considering the precarious character !,