Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-03-17
AidPledged
Unions In
Packer Row
Officers of Other Organiza.
tions Agree to Support
Meat Cutters if Threat.
ened Strike'is Called.
Proposal Up to Gompers
THREE CENTS


Chicago. March 16.--International
officers of every packing plant Union
under the American Federation OF
Labor today pledged their organiza-
tons to go to any extent in support
of the Amalgamated Order of Meat
Cutters and Butcher Workmen of
North America in its dealings with
the packers over wages and working
hours.
A resolution adopted at confer
ence of the officials pledged full
moral and financial support and the
officials announced that they had
agreed verbally to go to the extent
of calling a sympathetic strike. pro-
vded the meat cutters walked out
and their own organizations author
lied strikes.
1t was decided to place the matter
before Samuel Gompers at a confer
ence OF presidents of the IL allied
unions in Washington Sunday. A
telegram asking Mr.. Gompers to be
present was sent tonight.
Dennis Lane, secretary Of the Meat
Cutters organization, and Andrew
Brennan of Kansas City, its attor-
ney, were chosen to represent the
workers at the conference with Sec
cretary Davis in Washington Mon
day.
Demand Arbitration.
II was decided that the labor rep
resentativcs should insist that the
packers live sup to the arbitration
agreement reached during the war
and which recently was terminated
by the packers.
Mr.. Brennan and Mr.. Lane were
instructed that on this point there
could be no weakening. The stock
yards workers, it was decided. would
arbitrate anything at any time, but
would not consent to violation OF
this agreement.
A resolution calling on Secretaries
Hoover, Wallace and Davis to in
sist on the carrying out of this agree
ment was adopted.
Until the conference, the workers
will take no action, it was decided.
The workers wish to go into the
conference, it was said, with record
of having lived up to their agree
ment and of the ruling made by
Judge Samuel Alschuler when he was
federal arbiter OF packing plant labor
disputes.
Result of Vote Monday.
Labor officials said that the COM
plete vote on the strike question
would be in before Monday and that
if the packers did not agree to re-
tsore the old agreement an immediate
strike would be called, probably to
take effect before the end of next
week.
Workers today voted on the strike
question, but no returns were re-
ceived here. 1t was not believed that
the results would be available before
tomorrow or next day.
At the local packing plants the
situation was reported normal.
At Armour & Co. the ~ labor re-
presentatives elected yesterday met
today with "a representatives of the
employees to confer on the enpioye
representation plan, announced Mon
day. In reply to statement from
Armour & Co. that 70 per cent Of
the eligible men voted in yesterdays
elections. Mr.. Lane today declared
that their reports showed that less
than 80 per cent cast ballots. Many
OF these cast blank ballots, he said.
while others voted just because the
bosses were watching"
Favor Strike.
Kansas City, March l6.-Officials
OF packing house unions asserted to-
night that today's voting OH strike
at three of the big packing plants
IN Kansas City, Kan, had been al
most unanimous in favor of walk
out in the event of a return to the
l0-hour day. About 1,5O0 ballots
had been cast so far, they said.