The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-11-10
General Cut in Wages is
FOrecasted Today by
Leaders in Chicago.
lust REDUCE COSTS
Big Five" Joins in Notice to
Employees but Amount Is
Not Stated.

tBy Associated Press Leased Wire)
Chicago-A general cut in wages of
acking house workers was forecast
day when four Of the big five
rmour and company, Swift and com
any and Cudahy Packing company
quested their employees to consider
the plant councils a reduction in
ay to be made effective in the near
uture. No definite amount was men
oned and officials said their confer
ices had not determined the size of
he reduction to be sought.
Morris and company, the only one
the big five which has not estab-
shed employees councils, is expected
make any reduction which the
thers agree on.
The Amalgamated Meat Cutters and
Butcher Workmen Union of North
America recently took a strike vote in
which substantial majority authoriz-
u Cornelius Hayes, international presi-
lent to order a walkout if he was
unable to reach satisfactory agree
ment with the packers.
Strike Not Feared.
The big five claim, however, that
only a small portion of their men are
union members and that strike would
rot seriously affect their plants.
The strike vote followed termination
81 the period of federal arbitration es-
abolished during the war and under
which Judge Alschuler, appointee of
the secretary of labor, kept peace in
he packing industry up on until
september when the packers hav-
ng refused to renew the agreement
his control ended.
THE packers action is no surprise
0 us" Cornelius Hayes, international
resident Of the union said, when told
today's action, "And the packers
re going to cut wages regardless of
what the plant assemblies decide"
Hayes announced district presidents
rom all packing centers in the country
viii meet here next week to consider
what action shall be taken under the
strike authorization recently votd.
TIL present scale of wages in the in
3ustry ranges from 45 cents an hour
or common labor-which includes
AAbN per NGAi6 VI al ulCH GulElOYGu-LO
maximum of so cents for the highly
KILLED floormen. Semi-skilled trades
are paid from 45 to So cents; killers
rom So to 65 cents, and hide removers
from 10 to rs cents an hour.
Arguments of the packers for wage
"eduction at this time were presented
by Louis F. Swift, president of Swift
and company, in a letter today to
the members of the various plant
assemblies.
we regret that we must at this
ne ask you to present an unpopular
subject to your workmen through your
assembly" Mr.. Swift wrote, "but trust
he members of our organization re-
alize that we want them to suffer as
little hardship as possible from the
hard times that have befallen the
company.
1T is only because of the greatest
necessity that we bring up the need
Of further substantial reduction in
expenses so that we can meet the COM
petition Of other concerns operating
on much lower labor costs. We have
been doing all that we can in this di-
rection but unfortunately wages form
such large part of our expenses that
it now becomes necessary to consider
an early reduction of wage rates.
1T must be apparent to you, to your
foremen and to your worknen that
this step has to be taken.
IF investors would be willing to
put their money into the packing bust
ness, we should have to curtail oper-
atoms, causing more unemployment
and thereby injure our workmen our
selves and the stockholders.
"We have a very heavy obligation
to our 10000 share holders, among
whom are $1,000 of our own workers.
They have put their savings into our
stock and are interested both as en-
pIoyes and part owners.
cit is also a well known fact that
The wages in other industries have
come down faster than wages in the
packing industry and I believe that
every one in our organization realizes
chat the only questions today are: "a
How much wages will have to be
reduced (2) How soon is the reduc-
tion to be made.
Swift and company's labor costs
per hundredweight in 1915 was forty
cents; in 1921 it is one dollar. Live
stock has dropped almost to pre-war
levels prices of meat products also
have fallen, yet the difference between
the cost Of raw materials and the sell
ing price Of products has broadened.
Bureau of labor statistics for July
show that the average weekly earnings
Of Swift and company employees aver
aged $3.50 more per week than work
crs in steel and $3.50 more than those
u the cotton industry"