Evening star., 1920-02-15

business were experts in advertising.
experts in selling. experts In produc
tion-and no experts at all in the
| most important factor of all in in
dustry-labor. Good will in industry
is not enough. Schafner had had good
will and his men had struck. There
must indeed be good will. but it must
be based upon accurate knowledge
and a common understanding.
This was the beginning of the new
experiment upon the part OF the en-
ployer
In the same shop there was a young
Jewish clothing cutter named Sidney
Hillman. He was at the time only
twenty-four years old. He was born
in Russia and came through the mar
row but thorough training of a rab-
binical school. Like so many other
restless young Russians, he became
an active revolutionist against the
czarist government. He was arrest
and thrown into prison. where ne
spent his time reading every book
upon economics and political science
he could lay hands upon. When ne
got out of prison he left Russia. spent
a year in Manchester England. and
then came to Chicago, where he
worked in the plant of Sears. Roe
buck & Co. and later in the shops
of Hart. Schaffner & Marx. He nad
an ambition to be a lawyer, but when
the IaDOr TDdnceS DcEdH lIC So"'S
at once into local leadership and was
the principal agent on the part or the
men in working out the remarkable
new cooperative agreement winch
went into effect during the following
year-1911.
Principles of Organization.
At the time of this agreement the
dominant union in the garment trades
was the United Garment Workers
kzyl no m Il.
can Federation of Labor. But many
Of the local organizations were d1s-
contented with the old craft unionism
and the militaristic methods ana
leadership of the American Fedora
ton of Labor. In the national con-
ers in 1913 the differences came to
head. and when a considerable num-
ber of delegates were denied seats
they withdrew, held rump conven-
tion. formed new organlzatioh,
called the Amalgamated Clothing
Workers and elected Sldney dliihah
as their president.
The principles upon which the new
organization was founded were. IN
brief as follows:
a. To place less emphasis upon
craft organization and more upon
union of all the workers in the in,
dustry: to be as hospitable TOWARD
the unskiIled as toward the skilled
l2) To cooperate with employers
wherever possible rather than to nsnt
them-but to fight. and nght naro: ~
necessary. They had before them the
Hart Schaffner & Marx agreement OF
1911 as a way of approach toward IN
dustrial democracy. a.,
Although communicated by the
American Federation OF LABOR. 'hIs
new organization spread WIN
traordinary rapidity. Today IT has a
membership of some 100000 and prac-
tically dominates the workers IN .ns
men's garment trades of America ana
Canada.
Wealthy Organization.
II is one of the most powerful
unions in the country; it puolshes
it's paper in seven languages: II con
ducts interesting welfare and eouca
tional work: it is planning large OF.
fee buildings Tor ita ,Iors, own un in New
York and Chicago; it is protecting
co-operative enterprises OF seVerai
kinds: it was rich enough 10 seno .
check of 100000 to the steel WORK
succeeded in binding together in a
close union workers of dozen ar
farent nationalities and races. chieny
Jews, Italians. Poles. Bohemlans. out
including many old-stock Americans;
Scotch. English, ScandihaVlahs All"
others.
The essential element in the Hart
Schafner & Marx agreement. from
which the entire developE>Hnt springs:
is also the Fundamental idea found
in the shop committee system.
labor must be represented in man
aging those elements of industry
which concern its own life. Therefore
the Hart Schaffner & Marx agree
ment provides for the secret election
Oh
Chairman" These chairmen. who
are. of course. union men. because
the shops are firmly organized. elect
five delegates to meet hve representa-
tives of the employers in a trade
board" where all questions that
arise can be discussed upon an equal
and democratic basis.
Shop Councils System.
This is in it's essence the usual
"shop councils" system. but in the
garment trades two very important
new features have been introduced.
One is the principle of continuous
negotiation. with an agreement never
to let a difference of opinion reach
the point of a strike. Instead of
meeting occasionally and dealing at
arms length. these trade boards"
are in session every day and any
trouble that may arise is instantly
dealt with.
The other important feature is the
Impartial chairman" He is the out
slider who is chosen to preside over
the trade board and to decide Ques-
tions when a deadlock occurs between
the five members representing the
workers and the five members repre-
senting the employers. In short there
is not only continuous negotiation.
but continuous arbitration. Very able
and broad-minded men. often college
professors. have been chosen for i'm
partial chairmen and arbitrators. At
present Prof. James H. Tufts of Chi
cago University is chairman of the
board of arbitration in the Chicago
market.
So much lies in the spirit of ap-
proach to these new methods that
every one who is really interested
ought to read the following fine ex-
tracts written by ]. F.. Williams. now
deceased, the first chairman of the
board of arbitration and one of the
real creators of the movemenD from
the preamble of the agreement
which are in their way a setting forth
of the basic principles for a new con-
stitution for industry. now in the
making:
Preamble Of Agreement
"On tho part of the employer it is
the intention and expectation that
this compact of peace will result in
the establishment and maintenance of
a high order of discipline and eff
cheney by the willing cooperation of
union and workers rather than by
the old method of surveillance and
coercion: that by the exercise of this
discipline all stoppages and Interrupt
tions of work and all wilful viola
tions of rules will cease: that good
standards of workmanship and con-
duct will be maintained and a proper
quantity, quality and cost of produc-
tlon will be assured: and that out of
it's operation will issue such co-opera
1i0n and good will hat uroaI,