Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-11-11
To
Ask Men To
Take Cut
Swift, Armour and G ~
To Present Proposal toHa! ,o,,
ployes' Conference Boa. -
Within Two Weeks.
Unions Planning Strike

ReadJuStlncnt OF wage schcdulcs
will be put up to the plant confer
cncc boards at the various Omaha
packing plants that have that particu-
lar system in operation, within the
next two weeks, it was announced
yesterday.
According to local executives Of
Cudahy & Co., Swift & Co. and Ar
mour & Co. there has been such
decrease in the consumption of pack
ing house products that the plants
are not being worked to capacity. Un-
less the cost to the consumer can be
reduced to stimulate consumption OF
meat products further curtailmcnt
of packing activities may be ncces-
sary it is said.
Strike to Follow Cut.
Among officials of the butcher
workmen on the South Side it is the
general opinion that a strike will fol-
low the announcement of general
cut in wages. 1t is said that when
the strike order will be issued de-
pends upon the time the packers set
for the wage cut.
Some of the local union officials
expressed the sentiment yesterday
that the executive board of the
Butcher Workmen, Cornelius J.
Hayes, president; Patrick German,
vice president, and Dennis Lane, sec
retary of the national organization,
who have the power to call a strike,
may issue an order within the next
few days to forestall the proposed
actions Of the strikers.
"a cut in wages, without doubt,
will mean a strike in. all the pack
ing house centers," said Jacob H.
Davis, district president of the
Butcher Workmen. IT am satisfied |
the workers will not consent to a
cut at this time"
Forecast by Swift.
The first step toward cut in the
pay of the workers was made yester-
day at the local plant of Swift & Co.
when the following letter was read |
at meetings of plant assembly con-
ferences which have been functioning
since last May and have decided
of problems. i
We regret that we must at this |
time ask you to present an unpopu-
lar subject to your werkmen through
your assembly, wrote Mr.. Swift. /
but trust that the members Of our
realize that we want +
them to suffer as little hardship as
possible from the hard times that
have befallen the country.
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
competition of other concerns operat-
ing at much lower labor costs. We
nave been doing all that we can in
this direction, but unfortunately
wages form such large part of our
Expense that it now becomes neces-
sary to consider an early reduction
of wage rates.
Have Held OF.
"We have held off on this matter as
ong as we possibly can--longer than
Dur business warranted-but having
established a system of cooperation
through plant assemblies, we want
10 feel that we can consult with our
employees through these assemblies
on every vital matter that concerns
hem. For this reason we have not
aiken action before. We realize that
{ is difficult to ask them to consider
/ wage decrease during the first few
months of cooperative plan, but
We believe that the representatives
n our assemblies will handle the
natter in broad-minded way, realiz-
ng that their own welfare, as we'll
IS that of Swift & Co., depends on an
reduction of manufacture
ng costs, involving a reduction in
wage rates.
Accordingly I wish you would
axe this matter up with your assent
,ly without delay, and trust its men,
,ers will realize that we have put
his matter up to them only when
{ has become absolutely necessary
md only after we have done every
hing possible to reduce expenses in
,ther directions"