The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-05
HART SCHAFFNER RAISE
Clothing Manufacturers Give Men an
Additional 81, 800 400.

Chicago. June 5.-The Hart Schaff-
ner & Marx agreement with its en-
ployees has been renewed. The firm
has agreed to give wage increases to-
falling 81, 100000 within the next three
years, the life of the new contract All
the old features of collective bargain
ing and the provisions for industrial
democracy have been retained.
In addition, the company has con-
scented to reduce the week from fifty
two to forty-nine hours.
The Hart Schaffner & Marx agree
ment was one of the few Industrial ar
rangements which received high praise
from the United States commission
on industrial relations. 1t has been
extensively copieS, though nowhere
else has so radical an arrangement
been made.
1t provides the socalled preferential
shop. When the company desires to
employ more workers, members of the
union are preferred, though if none
are available nonunion workers must
be accepted. In all but the busiest
season the CLOSED" shop is in effect
All disputes arising between workers
and the company are settled by a per
manent arbitration board
Typical of the unusual nature of the
relations between employers and en-
ployees under the agreement is the
distribution which will be made of the
salary increases. Instead of the old
method of giving the same proper
tional increase to each employee, the
new agreement provides for the ap-
poi1tment of a committee from the
union which will work out a plan
through which the lower paid workers
will receive far greater increases than
will the higher paid ones.
Because all the new scales apply to
piece work, il is difficult to determine
in advance what the minimum wage
will be. There is provision, however.
that no woman apprentice shall re-
ceive less than So a week, while no
man apprentice can be paid less than
S12 a week.
The union is the AmaIgamated
Clothing Workers of America, the or
ganization headed by Sidney Hillman.
| This union fought the clothing houses
of Chicago, except Hart Schaffner &
Marx, some months ago. For the en-
/ ployers Prof. E. D. Howard of North
western university conducted the ne
/ gotiations The plan was devised three
years ago by Joseph Schaffner of
Hart Schaffner & Marx
| Mr.. Schaffner in a statement ne is
sued said:
| While we prize our agreement
| highly as means of promoting our
practical business ends. still we prize
| it still more for proving the POSSIBLE
/ ity of establishing harmonious cooper
alive relations between worker and
employer and of supplanting militancy
and the spirit of conflict by friendship
and good will.
| I'VE have been able to conduct the
negotiations leading up to this settle
I ment without an unkind word on eth
/ er side, without controversy, and with
out suggestion of resort to force or
| even to arbitration We simply rea-
soned together and worked out a sat
| isfactory solution OF our problems
| IT cannot say too much for the won
derful genius who is at the head of the
union, Sidney Hillman. to whose su-
perb leadership, remarkable insight
into the problems of human relations.
as well as consummate ability and
| craftsmanship in matters of orgaaiza-
ton, the success of this experiment
now and in the past is largely due"