The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-12-05
PACKERS AND
UNIONS CLAIMS
WON'T CHECK UP
Meat Worker Chiefs Declare
WalkOut Unanimous.
"Big Five" Packers Declare
Plants Operate at Normal.
NEGRO HEADS K. C. FORCES
Strikers Refuse to Allow Meat
to Enter Kansas City.
Officials Appear Before Kansas
Industrial Court Today.
'EBig Five" Packers Declare
Plants Operate at Normal.
NEGRO HEADS K. C. FORCES
Strikers Refuse to Allow Meat
to Enter Kansas City.

| Kansas City, Dec. 5.-Sixteen Off
cials of the five Kansas City. Kan. To-
Gals of the Amalgamated Meat Cut
ters' and Butcher Workmen of Amer
lea appeared this afternoon before the
Kansas court of industrial relations IN
Kansas City, Kan. The union Off
cials, who defied summons of the in
dustrial court Saturday. presented
themselves upon orders issued by the
district court of wyandotte county
Chicago, Dec. 5.-Union packing
house workers in livestock eenters
, outside of Chicago were reported by
union strike leaders today to be prac-
tically all out on strike. while COM
pany officials declared their plants
were not seriously affected, and N
Chicago announced that all plants ex-
cept few independent concerns were
working go to 95 per cent of the reg
ular force.
The union strike, voted by the
Amalgamated Meat Cutters and
Butcher Workmen's union in protest
over a reduction of wages. went into
effect this morning. Shortly before
noon officials claimed that a major
| ity of 10000 here had quit work At
the same time the packers announced
that conditions were practically nor
NAL.
Cornelius Hayes, president of the
union, said advices from a half dozen
cities indicated that the union men
walked out 100 per cent.
Other Ccnters Hard Hit
| From St. Joseph. Mo; East St.
Louis; Albert Lea. MINI: Kansas City.
Kansas, and Wichita, Kansas. reports
said. the union walkout was practically
/ Unanimous Mr.. Hayes declared.
At st, Joe, President Hayes said, -
! 500 men were out and at Albert Lea.
| the entire force of 900 men at a small
er plant had quit work
| Cedar Rapids, Iowa. and Milwaukee.
/ reported that packing officers said
/ their plants were unaffected. while
| from Fort Worth, Texas. came the an
nouncement from officers OF Swift &
| Company, and Armour & Company
that but 200 men had left work in
| those two plants
Plants Report Forces Full.
All five of the larger packers IN
Chicago-Armour, Swift, Cudahy.
| Morris and Wilson-reported prac-
tically full forces at work with many
unemployed laborers lined up waiting
/
! nouncement to make on the Chicago
| situation except that the union men
had walked out and that several plants
were tied up.
OF the 1s independent plants in tn.
| city, however, number were said TO,
| be upaffected because they had nor
reduced wages over which the strike
was called.
Company spokesmen were optimistic
| from the number Of employees who
! work first dax nj
strike, but union leaders said that the
strike would spread and that another
! DAY would see still larger defections.
Many Want Jobs.
The employment office at the yards
| of Swift & Company here reported
! that there were two men for every
job" Officers Of the company said
/ that about 80 per cent of the regular
force had reported. The defections
were in the wool department and the
barrel cooperage department which
| company officers said, could be shut
down indefinitely. The Swift plant
/ employs about seven thousand men.
! More than 400 men were lined up
early in the morning at the employ
ment office of Armour's, but few OF
them were given jobs. At another
entrance of the Armour plant, about
! 500 men waited to get in, and police.
seeing the gathering. stood around in
doubt whether TO disperse the crowd
or not. 1t developed tnat they aiSO
were men looking for work.
J The first call for police came from
the Swift plant where 700 men gath
ered waiting for jobs. The police had
little trouble in keeping them in line.
/; X. C. Plants Crippled.
Kansas City. No, Dec. Packing
plants here were badly crippled to-
{ day, the first day Of the strike OF em-
ployes in protest against q to 10 per
cent cut in wages Out Of n total OF
/ 1900 workers union officials claimed
that over $500 had quit their Jobs.
altho plant officials stated that only
about 40 per cent were outs
| OF the 1900 employees. $500 are
women, and over 5000 OF these were
among the ranks of the strikers.
| A check up Of the packing plants
made by union officials today re-
veaIed the following percentages Of
workmen on strike-Wilson & Co. %
per cent; Cudahy. 90 per cent; Morris.
s95 per cent; Armour. SO per cent;
Swift, IS per cent.
A crowd of six or seven hundred
men ohgregated on the Kansas END
/ Of the Twenty third street viaduct at
noon today and was turning back
| trucks attempting TO cross into Mis-
souri, to distribute fresh meat TO retail
dea.eE One of the drivers refused tc
turn back until after he had been
roughly handled by the crowd
Negro Chief of Strikers
G.. w. Reed, the negro. who was
! ye1terday chosen commander OF the
stril7in~9 forces. said he was well sat
isfied with ;he response to the strike
call. He issued a statement declaring
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