Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1922-02-24
n0pEN SHOP BUSI-
MSS NJ IS FIRM n HANDS
-' OF A RECEIVER

Running a business GA the .,., 70,
sbopa plan is not MAJ II -
up o. ~ y + ebampaign's pioneer open
~ .9ostitutions--in fact the hfst q
sup ,sa,sjadge to openly declare doi
oul - an the rocks financially
ma I mn in The hands Of a reeeife.i
with liabilities Of apPIoAi'''"''''
@- ne cushman Tool company Is the the
s,1n We refer to. Whether or not M M
aoneo shop" had anything To 40 WIZ
~ failure of the firm cannot, u
.uD ,,r5e he determined; but II does
80 eSotg one thing, that the promise 0! o.
sat dividends by running under thd'
Ias do not always meet the eA-
nectaiions Of the employer WIN
'nf Pe l,s,i many hundreds Of dollars
- snsnt In advertising TO induce
Nc ,abIie TO invest in bonds when
th ~ eompany claimed we're to enlarge
t Wy eiaaf and add an axe handle lac
~ - hut subsequent events lead one
.oiI b,.l5sSe The S250,000 which the
company sought to falsee by seliihs
bonds was to meet their indeoeeu-
nth The cushman company has besn
,u,1 IN The true sense on the 50,
called aopen shop American plan
s;ncs its organization a few years
am" oroanized labor has not inter-
fered with the conduct OF the factory
in any way, it being one oil the lac.
tories in Illinois to be taken as sort
~ . t,sy-ont of the plan. Close tap
,,os therefore kept on the progress
made believing that sooner or later
the results of "open-shoplsm ~ouid
be manifest. From time to tune
renorts have come of reduced wages,
and, it is reported that wages nave
heen reduced from time to time I'M
iii they have reached the "Amerl-
can MAN level of $3.50 a week Tor
n,ost of the men employed, and that
t t,e had been employed only part
time With the quality Of labor Sc
cured at these figures, it is sad the
quality of tools manufactured by the
nlant gradually decreased to a point
where they we're almost worthless,
and thus much was lost IN the way OF
selling the products.
Shortly after the factory started,
Mr.. Cushman addressed "a letter TO
his employees in which he said;
"After a very careful consid-
oration of vour interest and the
interest of the business we have
definitely decided that any agl-
tation or attempt ON the part OF
any individual man or group oil
men to organize our employees
would be looked upon as an act
contrary to the mutual interests
of our employees and the COM
pany, and such man or group
will be removed from the pay
roll for the interests Of the
greatest majority whom ! believe
recognize that | am and always
have been personally interested
in the welfare Of each individual
employe and have consistently
endeavored to make our plane
and working conditions as favor
able for the employees as condi-
lions will permit.
GEORGE w. CUSHMAN,
president"
Mr.. Cushman was president OF the
Associated Employers for two years
ntil recently when that honor went
o an Urbana editor. He took the
ems of the "open shop" organization
fter another Champaign merchant
iscovered that they were using him
or the goat. Mr. Cushman was in
trumental in bringing r. c. Taylor,
aid agent of the "open shoppers
o the Twin Cities to try to rope IN
he rest of the business world in their
Ight against labor.
The failure of any local business
S to be truly regretted by anyone.
NE Cushman failure may be taken as
m illustration of the fallacy of the
open shop" theory, and it is hoped
hat under its reorganization at the
lands of the receiver, it will be
as the receiver says he
lopes il will be, under sound econom-
C conditions, and while he does not
,ay anything about the American
plan, it is hoped the experience of
he past will be sufficient reason for
.apidlv discardinp that scheme,