Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-12-13
HARVESTER PLANT
HAVE ALWAYS RUN
ON OPEN SHOP PLAN
COMPANY ALLOWS NO DlsTiNc.
TON TO BE MADE AGAINST
ANY EMPLoYE ON ACCOUNT or
RACE, SEX, POLITICAL or RE.
LlGIous APPLICATION OR MEM
BERsHlP IN LABOR oR6ANlZA
TON.

Chicago, Dec. 13.--All Harvester
plants have always been conducted on
the open shop principle, and, as our
management declares, always will be,
r. A. II. Young OF the International Har.
: vester company today told the Illinois
Manufacturers Association here.
THE Harvester open shop idea Is
clearly stated in our industrial coun
ell plan, which says that there shall
Z be no discrimination against any ON.
ploye because OF race, sex, political
I or religious afflliation. or membership
in any labor or other organization.
"The core and heart Of the plan is
the works council. body at each
\ plant equally composed OF representa-.
/ tives freely and secretly nominated
and elected by the employees and Of
( management representatives appoint
ed by the management. This council
. is empowered TO discuss and shape
! plant policies with respect to all ques
ton OF mutual interest between EN-.
! plOyes and management
Under the Harvester system the
works councils shape policies, but the
: management executes them. There
is no surrender OF the functions or re.
sponsibilities OF management, but
there is frank, fair, fifty-ffty discus.
. sion and participation In the settle.
ment OF any question of mutual inter
est.
- The plan provides effectively for
the recall by the employees OF their
representatives and for complete pro-
lection Of all employe representatives
against any discrimination because oil
their actions or attitude as such.
This plan was adopted by the EN-
ployes in March, 1919. by free and Sc
cret ballot at nineteen out of the
twenty plants In the United States
and Canada to which ii was offered
The twentieth plant has since adopted
the plan OF its own motion. 1t has
been amended only in two important
details.
For nearly three years, then, we
have seen how the plan works - good
times and bad
And through all these three years
our industrial council plan has been
the means of amicably, promptly and
justly settling the innumerable big
and little questions that arise In the
daily work Of as many as 10000 EN-
ployes at time, including questions
OF personal discipline, of wages, hours
and working conditions.
Only twice in that time has al
works council been deadlocked, re-
quiring reference to the president of
the company as an intermediate stepl
between deadlock and arbitration by|
mutual consent, which is the final re.
course of the plan. And in these two
cases President Mccormick readily |
suggested compromises that were &C |
cepted on the spot by all concerned.
ITO my mind the severest test has
been that which we have mostly late
ly experienced-the difficult and un. |
happy business of making a material 7
reduction Of wages and then another
reduction following close upon it.
s Il am happy to say that all our
works councils have met these Or.
deals and trials In spirit OF fairness
and understanding that has much en-.
HANGED the company's estimate of the
plan and its regard for the co-opera-
tive spirit of its employees
when our plan was adopted there
were less than dozen similar plans
In actual operation. Last April, be-
lieve, there were about 700 big and
little concerns operating under one or
another system of this sort Some \
paralleled it, and other Appropriated
1t only In major principles.
We of the Harvester company do
not by any means think that we have
finally solved the all-important prob
lens OF modern industrial relations,
but we are convinced that we are on
the right track"