Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-01-27
YARDS UNIONS VOTE
ON ENDING STRIKE
Packing Workers of U. S. Give
Hope of intervention.
WALKoUT CAUSED BY CUT
Packing Firms Claim Conflict Has Not
Affected Productlon-Dealin Only
With Representatives of En-
ployees, They Say.

Chicago. Jan. 26.--Striking packing
! house workers over the country Will
vote today on whether the packing.
strike shall be called off. This be-
came known when letters signed by
officials of the Amalgamated Meat
Cutters and Butcher Workmen. calNng
for referendum vote, were sent out
from headquarters here
The letter said that here of gov
eminent Intervention in the trouble
between packing houses and employees
had been abandoned and 1t was thought
best to hold referendum of the SUBJ
Jet of calling off the strike.
Intervention Hope Gone.
The letter said In part;
THE committee of Cancellation of
the department of labor called at the
general office on Instructions from
Hugh Kerwin, director of Cancellation,
and gave the information that striking
packing-houSe workers should no long
er hold out hope for intervention from
the department of labor"
The letter instructs local union offi-
Gals to take the vote by secret ballot
before 3 O'Clock Thursday afternoon.
The strike has been in effect since
Dec. 8.
Effectiveness In Dispute.
Effectiveness of the strike has been
denied by the packers since IFS In
ception Dec. g. In many plants admis-
sions were made that for few days
work was diminished, but II was de-
clared that recently all the plants have
been operating with output unim-
paired, Until recently the union main-
tanned all plants we're handicapped and
the strike would continue.
The STRIFE resulted in numerous
clashes between strike sympathizers.
ard the police in Chicago and in the
lynching Of negro strikerbreakers at
Fort Worth Tex, and Oklahoma City,
Okla. Tuesday at Oklahoma City FIVE
men, three whites and two negroes
were sentenced To life Imprisonment
for their part in the lynchlng Of Jake
Brooks, a negro strikebreaker.
In Chicago hundreds OF policemen
were assigned to duty in The black OF
the yards" district, and in the stock
yards about The big packing plants.
They were withdrawn only recently.
Wage Cut Brings Strike.
The strike was called after major
ity Of the members of the Amalgmated
Meat Cutters and Butchers Workmen
of America voted in favor of Il after
wage reductions I'm various packing
centers had been agreed ON by plant
councils, the packing houses not rec
ognlzing the unions as existent, but
agreeing to negotiate with committees
I from organizations of their own en-
| ployees.
/ The question of reduced wages
/ came up upon the expiration Of the AL
| schuler arbitration agreement. under
which Federal Judge Samuel AL
schuler acted as arhlter In all dis
putes. This agreement went into eff
feet In March. 1917. and after being
extended on several occasions ex-
pired on Sept -. 1921
Following expiration Of the agree
ment, the union presented a proposed
agreement as a basis for negotiations.
The packers, however, refused to ne
gotiate and announced that they had
met with employees representing their
industrial relations plan" and that
these representatives had agreed TO
accept a wage reduction.
Attempts to bring the representa-
tives Of the union and the packers tor
gether through federal mediation