Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-03-10
Packing House Workers
Appeal to Harding to
Preuet1t Wage Reduction
Ask President to Re-
quest Packers to Post
pone Wage and Hour
Changes Till Probe
Made; Strike of 2OO,-
600 Nearing.

Omaha, March 9.-(By Tht
Associated Press.)-Presiden1
Harding was appealed to Wed
nesday night by representa-
tives of packing house EN-
ployes with a request that hi
try to prevent a proposed re
duction of wages and read
justments of working hours
which have been announced by
meat packers to become effec.
tive March Ia.
Delegates to conference called by
the Amalgamated Meat Cutters &
Butcher Workmen of North America
voted unanimously late Wednesday to
appeal to the president in IN attempt
to forestall abrogation of the wartime
agreement between the packers and
their employees. The delegates re-
presented workers in every large
packing center of the country and
their action, according to union Off
Strike Warning Appears
The telegram to the president asked
him to request the packers to ''hold
in obeyance the wage and hour
changes" announced as effective next
Monday, until the secretary Of labor
can investigate charges contained in
the message.
A strike warning appeared in the
same resolution which instructed the
union officials ito take such action as
will result in unanimous and effec-
tive resistance to q return to the
10 hour work day, wage reductions and
other barbaric conditions that existed
prior to 1917" Unless President
Harding sends assurance Of action ac-
cording with the conference request,
this resolution, according to Dennis
Lane, secretary-treasurer of the union,
means authorization for a strike af-
fecting all packing house employees Of
the United States and Canada.
Gompers To lntercede.
Samuel Gompars, president Of the
American Federation of Labor, was
asked in another telegram sent We'd
nesday night, to go to the White House
as the direct representative of the
meat cutters union and urge imme-
date action on the packing house
workers request. He was also asked
to call meeting next Monday in
Chicago, Of the allied unions working
for the packers to outline concerted
action in event of strike.
The decision to appeal to the chief
executive was made in lengthy ses-
sion of the executive board Wednes-
day afternoon. The recommendations
were Immediately placed before the
delegates in general conference. A
heated discussion followed in which
the proposed action of the packers in
reducing wages by approximately Is
per cent and extending the possible
working day to ten hours, was unani-
mously denounced.
The delegates present were unani-
mously in favor Of striking if the
changes announced by the packers are
put into effect, according to Mr.. Lane.
A referendum vote will be necessary,
however, before the strike order can
be issued, Mr.. Lane said.
Want Arbitration Board.
Denouncing the packers action in
terminating the Alschuler arbitration
agreement as "a glaring contempt and
disregard for established government
al agencies" the resolution adopted by
the conference declared such action
"calls for unanimous unflinching
fight to u finish by not only our mem
bership but that of all organized labor"
The resolution states that the pack
ers believe the time opportune TO
destroy our organization and bring
about return Of the 10 to II hour
work day at a starvation wage and
to the point where no work
pan dare call his soul his own"
This telegram declared there was
an orderly and established American
method Of proceeding in industrial af-
fairs" and that this method was "a
meeting of employers and employees in
conference to arbitrate peacefully and
to avoid strikes or lockouts if
possible"
Rsyiew Situation.
A resolution adopted by the the
conference authorized that unless the
union officers received assurances
from the president that action would |
oe taken in accord with the workers |
.equest, the officers be instructed to
AXE such action as would result in an
resistance on the part Of the |
entire membership to a return to the
ten hour work day. According to
officers Of the union the
effective resistance" referred to
pould take the form Of a strike;
The telegram to President Harding,
otallinr 900 words, reviewed the
yhole situation leading up to the wage
eduction announced by the packers
,esterday and asks him to bring to the
difference table this small group Of
mployers who are bent upon plune.
nr one Of the great food industries of
he nation into chaos.
During the war, the telegram con-
lnued. workers Of the packing plants |
narod +h. ,,ninn IN larRe numbers" Ii