Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1921-01-14
..ssATVE PRODUCTION
ATEsT METHOD USED TO
COMBAT AMERICAN PLAN

-. ls4e.t method and what viii
s.,st proge 10 he n effective
20 "a IN resisting big employers In
1ssrts TO carry out the Amer
ne pisn has recently been devel-
ioa4 b., the members Of The Piano
"a Orzan Workers International
1,Ion Il is cooperative production
Of pianos
MEMBERS OF this union were recent
s.sped out by the Starck Piano
,,.sofeenring Co The fact that the
- piano Co had an agreement
- me piano Workers Union. was
lI,tla concern 10 them. They in
- uuon making rae effort TO put
- aeset the so.called American
,p,.sss-fong hours. short pay and nom
-. working conditions which is
S'.trarr 10 American methods and
..4s.,ean standards Because the
sly announced policy was distaste-
S,l 10 the workers they were locked
a,t Since the lockout the company
Sss made desperate efforts 10 have
.Sa members desert their union and
- accept what u the company Is an
,Sesl man. but the men will have
.ngs al Il. IN their desperation to get
,ho men 10 return 10 work they held.
ggegallv. tools, that belonged TO these
ia@sed ont men The workers were
oomneiled to resort 70 the courts and
enc for possession of their tools.
II is said that the real reason of
,bs company In forcing the piano
workers 10 sue for possession of their
,oals was 10 delay the opening OF the
new Cooperative Piano Factory. The
Starck Manufacturing Company is
fsarfpl of this new venture as the
american Plan" or injunction judges
cannot stop tne4n. Their real fear is,
tbe competition of their former faith
fol workers
The new Cooperative Piano Fac.
tory viii have their products on the
market early in January. II is said,
and II will carry the Union Label OF
the Piano aud Organ Workers Inter
national Union. one OF the adYan-
tages the cooperative factory has is
thai the workers are the most skilled
that were formerly employed by the
starck company The more skilled
the workmen, naturally the better the
product. There will be no profits. no
contributions TO the United States
Chamber of Commerce and no con
tributions to various manufacturing
associations lighting the progress OF
Labor. This is another advantage it
Is claimed they have in placing on the
market a cheaper and better product
The cooperative concern win pay the
prevailing union wages, meet the
usual costs OF production and all
other savings viii go TO the benefit of
the consumer
Il will 10 xe1gerp hsred that tha
Piano Workers have been in an al.
most continuous struggle with the
bigger manufacturers. In their fight
with the Lyon Healy company. which
is still on, the members of the union
suffered fines and were sent TO jail
by injunction judges. Charles Dold.
president OF the union, served sixty
days in jail because he displeased
judge. not for the violation of any
law, but because he ignored the order
Of judge and continued on the picket
lines
The method of competing with the
employers during struggle has been
used with good effect in the past in
Chicago. Last spring when the meat
cutters asked the retail butchers for
an increase in the wage rate they
were refused and strike was the re-
suit, During the struggle meat cut
tiers opened up retail meat shops, paid
the new union scale of wages, sold
meat cheaper than formerly and were
almost swamped with trade People
came from all over the city in auto
mobiles to get the benefits of the
great savings when buying at the
Union Scale No Profit Meat Shops"
The retail butchers soon agreed to
the new scale OF the meat cutters.