The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-08-19
Topeka Labor Dealers Lose
Membership Card Today.
Employed Three Persons Not
Belonging to the r. C. LA.
STOCK HELD BY UNION MEN
Shawnee Cooperative Assn a
s Shop Employees Store.
Manager Says Action Is Unfair
and Spite Work.

Labor troubles which have existed
In the store for the past few months
resulted today in the Shawnee Co
operative association, 1oO1-10O2 East
Fourth street, losing its membership
in local No. $40 of the Retail Clerks
International association. affiliated
with the American Federation of La
Dor.
Action was taken at a meeting of
the local Thursday night when evil
dence was submitted showing that the
Cooperative association had violated
its 100 per cent agreement by having
in its employ persons not members
of the clerks organization, and its
membership card was taken up this
morning by John Webb, secretary sof
the local. ~
Charles B. RoBbins, manager of the
Cooperative association, admitted to-
day that not all of the employees were
members of the union, but he declared
the action of the local in removing the
associations membership card was un-
fair. and charged that the action was
brought about largely by spite work
on the part of certain employees who
had recently been discharged.
Union Men Stockholders.
The Shawnee Cooperative associa-
tAOAi IS OIl6 VI the lew stores IN Topeka
that has been organized 100 per cent
and therefore entitled to membership
in the clerks union. Its stockholders
are chiefly union men employed at the
Santa Fe shops, and according to Rob-
bins, the carmen's union is one of the
heaviest stockholders. 1t is mutual
concern dealing in groceries and gen.
eFal merchandise and is operated for
the benefit of the union members and
their families. ,'-t. ---
ssIn order to maintain membership
10 the union. Secretary Webb says
| that a store must employ only union
labor or persons who make declara-
ton to apply for membership card
within thirty days. On account of the
| comparatively small membership in
the clerks union here, Webb says that
members are permitted to work in
stores not holding membership cards
| but that any store holding a card must
be organized 100 per cent. In the case
OF the cooperative association he
says that the store has recently en-
ployed union help and that these
employees made no steps to join the
union. ~S@
Three without Cards.
Manager Robbins says there are
| only three persons working in the
| store who are not members of the
!, Clerks union One of these is an of
| ing to Robbins, is not required to take
/, out membership card. The other
| two have been employed less than one
! week and Robbins says that it is his
understa nding they have two weeks
/ time in which to ask for membership
/ in the union. One of these persons
| is a woman bookkeeper who began
! work Monday morning and the other
| is a man employed in the meat de-
partment who has been working only
| two days. Taking away the associa-
/ tion's card before 1t was determined
whether these two employees would
! remain in the store and decide to take
| out memberships is why Robbins calls
/ the action unfair.
| Robbins is confident, however, that
, the trouble soon will be Strengthened
out and that the association. will. get
! it's card back. He says there. has
i been considerable disharmony among
| the employees of the store for several
months and that it has been neces-
sary to discharge three persons who
| he charges were chiefly to blame for
! the trouble. This action. he says, led
| to the complaint made to the Clerks
1 ilriO0