Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-11-19
Employees of Armour and
Company Agree That a
Pay Reduction is NeCeS-
Sary and Fix Amount,
is THE FIRST CASE OF
ITS KIND IN HISTORY
Employees of Three Other
Meat PIantSr Who Are
Holding Conferences, Are
Expected to Follow Suit
nv The Ass0cinted Prcss.)

mour d Co, 26.UOO IN all, toudJ'
through their plant governing
committee, agreed with officials
of the packing house that a wage
reduction is necessary, and fixed
its amount. The cut is effective
November 2S.
This Is the first time in the
history OF the industry that
wage reduction has been ar
rived at In such n manner.
Employees of Swift e. Co, Will
son G. Co., and the Cudahy Pack
ing company, who are holding
plant conferences, are expected to
accept similar reductions, and
Morris e. Co. has announced that
it will follow the example of the
others. All of the big five except
Morris e Co. last spring inaugu'
rated the plant congress- system
Of employees participating in the
management of the industry.
Question Put to n Vote.
The agreement between Armour
& CO. and its employees followed
two day conference. Twenty
four employees, representatives of
the plant councils in nine cities.
met with an equal number of Off
cials representing the company
The books were opened and the
financial situation of the company
explained, The question was put
to a vote, and the following re-
ductions, effective in all pants eX-
cept that at Fort Worth, Tex,
adopted:
For piece workers. per cent.
Unskilled Dor. getting as cents
an hour or less, 7 IL cents.
Semi skilled labor, getting As
and 80 cents an hour cents,
Skilled labor, getting over so
cents an hour, cents.
A minimum wage of 25 cents an
| hour for adult female labor is
provided.
These reductions apply to plants
in Chicago, st. Paul, Sioux City
Omaha, st. Joseph. Kansas City,
st. Louis and Denver.
Cuts at Fort Worth.
The reductions at Fort Worth,
where wages are gauged by local
ldppl 'OllulllpllCJ dlts
Unskilled labor, receiving less
than AZ IL cents an hour, 1-2
cents.
Semi-skilled labor receiving
from AZ IL cents to Al 1-2 cents
an hour, cents.
Skilled labor. receiving more
than Al 1-2 cents an hour, 3 cents.
When the reductions are applied
to the plants of the other mem,
bers Of the big five, $4,000 men
and women will be affected. In
the final result. far larger num-
Der will be directly concerned, rs
We ges in several hundred smaller
packing houses are based on the
big five scales.
NO change Is made t.. working
conditions or the forty-hour wee.:
guarantee.
A Now Departure.
Today's action, officials said
marked a new departure in Amer
lean industry. While the "plant
congress- idea has been tried with
varying success in other lines, the
packing houses were the first ma
tional industry to attempt this
method OF employe representation
IN the management.
Ihe final test of the plan will
come, officials say, when it is seen
whether the body of employees ac.
cept the decision of their chosen
representatives.
what effect the decision will
nave on the strike vote recentIv
taken by the Amalgamated Assoc
cation of Butcher Workmen and
Meat Cutters Of America NAV be
hhoWn tomorrow. Presidents Of
union locals in eleven packing cen.
ters are meeting here with Cor
nelius Hayes, international presi.
oeht, TO discuss the strike vote
open Shop Industries.
me big five plants have ALWAYS
neen known as "open shop" indus
trles' Packing officials say the
union membership Is largely con-
I,ned to the smaller plants. and
that any strike call would not af-
fect them seriously.
Readjustmcnt Necessary.
Ionlght officials of Swift &, Co
announced that after an all dav
conference, representatives of the
Chlcago Assembly of EmnIoves
had voted that a readjustment of
wages was necessary, had extended
a vote of confidence in the n,en
aselnent and had voted to leave the
wage readJustment to the discre-
tion or the management. Swift G.
GO. tonight announced reductions
Ior various classes of employees of
tne chicago assembly correspond
ing 10 those fixed by the employees
OF Armour & Co. and effective on
the same date, November 28. Com
pany officials said thew expected
tne other sixteen assemblies of en-
ployes to take similar action.
Omaha Votes FavorabIy.
SWIFT q Co. also announced to-
nlght that the Omaha assembly |
mad voted to accept a wage cut but |
mad not specified the amount or
now 1t was to be determined.
Swift & Co.'S employees are hold
Ing assembly meetings In the vari-
GUS cities where such organizations
exist and these assemblies are act
ing individually instead of collect 1
lvely, as was the case with the Ar
mour employees.
Among the cities where such as
semblies exist are Denver. Kansas
City. Fort Worth, st. Joseph. Mo-,
Omaha, st. Paul, st. Louis and East
st. Louis. III.
Officials said tonight that action |
along the same lines was expected
In these assemblies and that they