Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1921-05-06
BIG MONEY TO
FINANCE0PEN
SHOP DRIVE

strike insurance as an adjunct To the
open shop drive is now being written
by number of mutual companies IA.
thered by large concerns employing
labor. Employers who have hitherto
dealt fairly with the unions are being
guaranteed against loss II they viii
break with labor organizations. Print.
ing firms are being urged 10 repudiate
their agreement TO put the 44hour
week into effect and they are promised
n sum equal to their profits and over.
head expenses in event strike of en-
ployees takes place.
Who lis putting up all this money!
That is the Question being asked by
members of organized labor. or course.
the most of IL is being put up By me
commercial. financial and Industrial
combines which inaugurated the open
shop movement Recently several
strike insurance companies have been
formed to handle this feature OF the
eampaipn One of these is the EN-
ployers' Mutual Insurance and Service
Company OF Baltimore. with Edwara
C. Myers, president; Emlen l. Lilteli,
vice president and secretary; Louis ,.
Zimmerman, treasurer, and MOTIFS
Griffith, assistant secretary.
There could be no criticism OF strike
insurance II conducted along lePitimat
lines. like accident, life, hail, HOOD
and tornado insurance. but when II y
used as an Involvement to employers
10 wage war on labor unions. that is
quite another story. Recently the Balti-
more concern sent to employers a print
ed folder, with charts and tables, call
ing attention TO the rapid growth OF
the American labor movement, in
which II says. Labor is powerfully or
ganized, not only by trades but In one
great positive and financial federation
The most complete answer to organized
labor's methods is insurance"
Members of the mutual" are reim
bursed "for actual daily loss not ex
ceeding the per diem indemnity caused
by strike beginning at any time while
the policy is In force. for a period not
exceeding 800 working days"
The American Federation of Labor
has been investigating the strike in
suranee business and fil,,ls that its de.
velopment is c1existent with the cam
paign for the open shop inaugurated
by the United States Chamber of Com
merce and related associations of EN-
ployers soon after the armistice was
signed. In discussing the Baltimore
mutual" Frank Morrison. secretary
of the Federation, said:
1T would be interesting to know the
influences that are back of this partic-
ular company. The fact that II was
brought into existence during the time
that the money powers were endeavor-
ing to impede the activitiese of the
unions and endeavoring to destroy
them raises suspicion In my mind
that II may be used as a means OF en-.
conraging employers to enter into in
dustrial warfare with their employees
for the purpose of reducing wages and
increasing hours. II is certain that the
development of strike insurance com
panies will he potent factor In in
creasing industrial strife. providing
there is unlimited financial support
available.
1T is not conceivable that any single
company could induce employers to pay
premiums large enough to guarantee
them against loss through strikes. Ey-
en- If IL did, il eould1not guarantee en-
ployers against loss of trade and Gus.
toners TO other employers who were
wise enough To enter into agreements
with their employees so they might be
in position to supply the public with
their products"