The Washington herald., 1921-03-24
Sec. Davis Brings Peace
Between Packers and
Employers.
WORKERS ACCEPT
NEW WAGE SCALE
Firms Agree to Restora-
tion of S-Hour Day
And Overtime.
By ARTHUR SEARS HESxING.

By ARTHUR SEARS hENNiN"'
Through the mediation Of Secre-
tary of Labor Davis. peace in the
packing industry was established
yesterday and the threatened strike
of the stockyard employees averted.
Representatives of the packers
and Of the unions of their employees
signed an agreement settling the
present wage and hour controversy,
which provides:
Terms Provided.
1. That the employees accept the
wage reductions put into, effect by
the packers last week.
9. That the packers agree to the
restoration of the basic eight-hour
day and overtime rates.
}. That the packers agree to the
continuation until September l5,
1921. of the arbitration system OF
settling disputes between them and
their employees.
The settlement was effected in
conferences yesterday with Secre-
tary Davis by both parties to the
controversy.
When the terms of the agreement
were laid before the opposing sides
for signature the packers repre-
sentatives wanted to parley further.
Davis Emphatic.
"oh. what the hell's the use of
arguing" exclaimed Secretary Davis.
-Sign here" pointing to the dotted
line,
The signatures of the packers at
torneys, James G. Condor and Carl
Meyer. were promptly attached and
the agreement was completed.
Secretary Davis Immediately tele-
phoned the news to the White
House. He was keenly elated at the
successful outcome of his first ef-
forts as a labor mediator. 4
Truce for War.
I'VE have signed truce to pre-
pare for war; was; the statement
made by Redmond s. Brennan. coun-
sci for the packers eRcpIoyes. after
the agreement had BEEN Announcsd,
I'VE entered this agrekment because
] felt II was necessary to avert
bleodshed. The position of the
workers was so fair and so reason
able that IL a strike had resulted
the fury of impatieht men would
have broken under 4 new kind of
leadership. and the strike would
have been waged more -intelliGeptly
and more viciously than any ever
seen before in this country. there
fore regarded IL as of national i'm
portsnce that the strike be averted!
If the packers. after September Is
when the Alschuler agreement ex-
pircs, display the same hostility to-
ward fair and just consideration OF
the demands of their employees, in
dustrial strife Is certain to result.
In the meantime. however. we ex-
pect to work with Secretary Davis
and other administration officials in
arranging some plan for permanent
arbitration in the packing industry"
At the very outset of the nego-
tiations at the Labor Department,
Secretaries Davis, Hoover and wal
lace made II clear that 1t was the
opinion of the administration that
. wages would have to come down
along with price declines generally.
according to Brennan. They virtu-
ally defined this as the attitude of
the administration in future indus
trial disputes. At the same time,
they made it equally plain that Ia
Dor would have the backing of the
administration in maintaining the
eieht-hour day.
WAGE Positiea.
Mr.. Brennan declared that he did
not agree with the Secretaries as
TO the necessity for wage reduc-
tions and in signing the agreement
he insisted on the addition Of Ar
ticle VI as a sort OF reservation
to show that he did not approve
Of general wage cuts. He accepted
the reduction on behalf of the pack
Ing employees. he explained, simply
as means OF averting the strike
now. II e was pleased, however,
with Mr. Davis attitude toward the
7eight-hour day. II am going TO
tell labor that II sugurs well for
fair treatment of the working man
by the new administration" he said
Mr.. Brennan predicted that the
agreement would be generally ac
cepted by the packing employees. II
will be explained and debated AT
mass meetings Sunday in CHICAGO
and other packing centers, he stated.
The, question of union recognI-
tion by the packers did not come
up during the negotiations. Rren.