Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-12-02

, Dennis Lane, secretary of the Butch
er Workmen's union Thursday night
issues the following statement:
"All attempts to ,erotiate ! fs;r
adjustment OF wage rates BY offering
an agreement providing for arbitration
between the packers and the employees.
have failed. The joint executive com
mlttee representing all international
unions affected. now do advise in ac-
cordance with the strike vote of the
rank and file that all packing house
employees in all plants where wage re-
ductions were arbitrarily ordered into
effect Monday, November 2S, or any
date thereafter, cease work at a. M.
Monday, Dec. 81
Is Cities Affected
The cities where the packing house
employees are organized, are: CHICAGO.
Milwaukee, South st. Paul, Sioux City.
Omaha, Denver, Nebraska City. ST.
Joseph, Mo-, Kansas City. Wichita.
Oklahoma City. Fort Worth. East Sc.
Louis, Albert Lea and Austin, Minn.,
and Cedar Rapids. and Dubuque, lows.
There are about 10000 union work
men employed by the big five'' pack
ers and about 10000 union workers
employed in smaller plants, according
to President Hayes. About MOO0 81
the union men were in Chicago, he said.
According to Mr.. Hayes figures, there
are approximately 5000 organized
workers and about 1900 unorSanixed
employees in the packing industry. The
packers have claimed that the majority
of their workmen did not belong to any
union and have never recognized the
unions.
Unions affiliated with the Butcher
Workmen and which are also ordered
to strike, according to the official strike
call, include steam and operating en-
gineers, stationary firemen, railway
carmen, coopers, carpenters, black
smiths, electrical workers, steam fit
ters. sheet metal workers and machin-
lists. There are about 5000 men in
these allied crafts, Mr.. HAYES said.
Expect 10000 to Quit
1T has been our experience ins past
strikes that the majority Of the non
union men walk out with the union
workmen." said Mr.. Hayes. I'm that
event. fully 10000 workers may be af-
fected."
The strike order issued Thursday
brings to climax a controversy be-
tween the packers and union workmen
extending over three months.
During the war, the packing plants
operated under the AlschuIer agree
ment, all disputes being referred to
Federal Judge Samuel Alschuler for
arbitration. This agreement was ex-
tended for year after the war and
expired September Is.
At that time four of the ''big five
paekers-Armour and company. Wilson
and company, Swift and company, and
the Cudahy Packing company-inauEur-
ated system of plant conferences and
stated their intention OF dealing direct
ly with their employees through the
conferences between representatives Of
the employees and the packers.
In October the Amalgamated Meat
Cutters and Butcher Workmen OF
North America took strike vote be-
cause it was asserted the packers did
not recognize the union. A canvass of
this vote, according to union officials,
disclosed that more than $4,000 work
men had voted to strike and 5000 had
voted in opposition.
Protect Wage Cut
Last month the four packing com.
panies that inaugurated plant confer
ences, began holding assemblies in the
various plants following which it was
that representatives Of the
workmen had agreed to a cut in wares
and had either fixed the amount of The
decrease or allowed the companies to-
do SO. These reductions. averaging
about 10 per cent, became effective
last Monday in the four plants affected.
and Morris and company also announc-
ed similar reductions.
The unions asserted the plant as
semblies did not represent the work
men and expressed opposition to the
action.
''These companies conferences did
not represent the workmn in the pack
ing plants" Mr.. Hayes said. 'The en-
ployes had no voice in them. The strike
vote and order is our answer to the
camouflage machinery set up BY the
packers. -
The strike. call Was sent out Thurs
day night. The last general strike In
the packing industry was in 1904 when
the packing house workers struck with
wages as the main point in cOntro-
versy.
CORN STILL KING.
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