Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-03-09
Employees
To Resist
Wage Cut
Walk Out Will Come If Pack.
ers Insist OH lO-Hour Day,
Union Secretary
Declares.
Says Firms Want Strike

Chicago, March 8.-"The packers
are looking Tor a strike and there is
no doubt that they will get one if
they insist on their proposal to re-
turn to the old l0-hour day." Dennis
Lane, secretary of the Amalgamatcd
Meat Cutters and Butcher Workers
union, said today when informed of
wage reductions and increased work.
ing hours announced by the packers
today.
Mr.. Lane said that if it really was
necessary for the packers to reduce
wages in order to do business. the
employees would be wiling to come
llalf way in any proposition that was
made i'll fair and just way"
Il am convinced. however" he
said, that the workers will never
consent to return to the antedeluvian
10-hour day.
K If wages must be reduced the
packers must go about it in the same
manner which the men took in get
ting their increases. The packers
have done away with the services OF
Judge Samuel Alschuler as arbitra-
ter. but we will not accept a wage
reduction unless it goes before SONS
fair tribunal or umpire. Either re-
call Judge Alschulcr or appoint
some one in his place is our ad-
vice to the packers"
"RelisN a Strike
Mr.. Lane said that he believed the
packers would relish strike"
"We have found that they have
stored vast quantities of their prod-
ucts and that they could shut down
for some time without any real loss"
he said. Had the employees taken
such stand as the packers now have
taken, we would have forced the
country into chaos and been con-
demned by every one
Mr.. Lane said that the announce
ment OF the packers that overtime
would be paid only after 10 hours
work day, or 54 hours a week,
meant a return to the l0-hour day.
Men Will Fight.
"The men will never stand for this
attempt to force them back to the old
working hours. They must have the
present rate of TIME and one-half for
the excess over the eight hours"
A wage conference of employees has
been called by Mr.. Lane TO meet in
Omaha tomorrow. In addition, meet
ings in all cities where there are
packing house branches are being
arranged and demonstrators is
planned here for next Sunday, when
$4,000 employees are expected to take
part in parade and mass meeting.
Affects Killing Gangs Chiefly
]. Ogden Armour said that the an
nouncement did not mean a return
to the ten-hour day.
THE whistle will blow at the end
of eight hours just the same as
usual" he said. "Ihe revision al
fects chiefly the killing gangs, where
we have no control over the amount
of work that raay be necessary on
any one day. The men there will,
when it is necessary, work 10 hours
at the regular rate, but if their work
on any one day exceeds 10 hours or
i'll any one week exceeds 81 hours,
they will receive time and one-hal;
Tor the excess"
Iowa Company in Line.
Des Moines, Ia, March 8.-An-
nouncement o; The same wage reduc-
tions. effective March "A, announced
by the Chicago packers, was made
today by the Iowa Packing company
here. About 800 men are affected
at this time, it was said.
Wages Cut at Denver
Denver. March S.-Twenty-five
+, hundred employees of Denver packing
plants will be affected by the l2h
per cent wage reduction announced
in Chicago today by the packing
companies.