The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1922-01-14
PACKERS CREED AND AVARlCE is
EXPOSED BY PRESIDENT OF UNION

CHICAGO, Jan. 1:-Rescind thee
wage reduction order ana restore.
the former wage. pending arbttra.
ton proceedings. ..>.h.a.r. Z. ILL.,,
The above plan will end the ma
tion-wide strike of butcher work
men. says C. J.. Hayes, general
president Of tho Ama1gamated Meat
Cutters and GButcher Workmen,. In
q memorandum Of the strike SUBJ
mitted to Secretary Of Labor Davis. !
1.-THE packing house workers."
says President Hayes, ''listened to
the appeal of the government in the
winter Of 1917 and signed an agree
ment with tho presidents mediation
commission to submit all disputes to
arbitration during tho war period.
Had they exercised their eco
nomic power during the period Of
actual warfare and during the years
Of 1919 and 1920, these workers
could have exacted' wages 100 per
cent higher than they obtained
through the. process Of arbitration,
In March, 1919, the five big
packers addressed Secretary of La
Dor Wilson on their own initiative,
requesting that the. Alschuler arbf-
tration agreement be extended for
a period to run one year after
peace had been signed and gave as
their, reason for desiring an ex.
tension Of the. agreement that they
desired peace in.- the industry dur
ing the reconstruction period
:. The packing house workers
agatn listened to the earnest appeal
Of the department Of labor and went
along with the principal of arbitra-'
ton.
ION February 81, a few days:
prior to the exit Of the Wilson adj
m1nistration, the packers arbitrarily
attempted, to withdraw from their
agreement with the department Of
labor. r. It was: only after most
earnest persuasion by Secretaries
Davis, Hoover and wallace that they
were induced to return to that agree-]
ment for q period: OF six months /
expiring September 15., 1921. The
packers, however, before agreeing to
return. compelled the employees to,
agree to- accept a reduction OF 12x
per cent I'M their Wages, This was
IN March Of this year.
!. TN July Of this year: the packers
.petfttoned Judge Alschu1er, the ar
;b1trator. for, another reduction Of s.
cents an hour. After hearings and
consideration. Judge Alschuler de-
MED the request. setting forth in.
his award that the cost of living
and the, labor market did not war;
rant such a decrease.
"Followtng the expiration Of the
Alschuler agreement, the Butcher
Workmen's. union waited upon the
five big packers and presented an \
agreement on that basis for negot-
atoms:
The demands, contained in that
agreement provided that the wa<e
scale and working conditions then
In effect should continue and that
no change should occur except, upon
mutual agreement or through the
progress Of arbitration. The agree
ment did not contain any demsnd !
Tor the union or so-calIed closed
shop: T. 49,. II
:"The packers refused. to, neeo-
tiate with the union. /
November: 10 the. packers an
nounced that the reduction would |
take effect November 20 and that
unskilled labor, which constitutes
e5 per cent Of the total employees,
would be- reduced ~ cents an hour |
from IS cents to 37h cents: The
semf-skilled workers would be- re-
duced s cents an hour and the skill
ed workers Scents an hour.