The Connecticut labor news., 1924-07-12
BARBER CHAIR co. THROWS OUT PACT
 WITH POLISHERS
RePudiates Signed Agreement and Flaunts Union and All
 Labor. s@

The Eugene Berninghaus. Company of Cincinnati, Ohio makers of barber chairs and distributors of other barber supplies, sold under their name, has de- fiantly and deliberately abrogated their signed agreement with the Metal Pol ishers International Union This agreement went into effect i'll March. this year, and should not expire until 1925, but this firm openly Haunted or gan1zed labor, refers to the union agreement as mere scrap of paper and Justltles it's action in repudiating their own signatures by saying that they can get the work done cheaper i'll the open shops that employ unskilled and nOn-union men.
 1 The Berninghaus barber chair. built up their reputation on the union agree ment and starting almost at the very beginning conducted a union shop, and every chair bore the union label Or gan1zed labor everywhere boosted the
 
 ness incrAeased and during the last two or three years have run a night gang as well as a day shift. Greed for greater profits predoninated, and the company frankly admits that the only reason for their change from the union to the non-uniOn shop is for greater profits and they boldly add that the few extra dollars they save on each barber chair made will be diverted to their own profits rather than to low CT sales price for the barber chair.
 On Friday, May 16, the Berninghaus Barber Chair Company, after declar- ing for the open shop, discharged all their union Polishers, Buffers and Platers, giving them about five minutes notice and immediately began sending the barber chairs to the non-union shops to be finished and plated
 Every possible effort was made to point out to this company their moral and legal obligation, but to no avail Local committees waited on the firm. The international officers of the Metal Polishers International Union waited on this company, the international or ganizer of the Journeymen Barbers' International Union with the officers from the local barbers union waited on the firm, the grievance committee of the Central Labor Union of Cincin- nati Ohio, and the Department of La E@- Io+, labor conciliators, but this company re- mained obdurate. The answer was the same: Tt Is a matter of dollars and cents with us, we will get our work can get it done cheaper and we don't care how those cheap men exist or how their families live"
 In the past the Manufacturers Asso- ciation collaborating with the Cham bers of Commerce, have run full page advertisements in the leading news papers of this country, condemning organized labor in general and charg ing them particularly with disregard ing their pledges and their agree mentS. NOW comes a manufacturer, probably a member of the Manufac- turers' Association, this Eugene Der ninghaus Barber Chair Company and deliberately breaks their signed agree ment with roganized labor.
 If after many years of effort on the part of organized labor in assisting and building up the business of this com pany, why shouldn't an action of this kind now be given the fullest publicity?
 The Metal Polshers' International Union requests organized labor every where to enter a protest against this ! company breaking their agreement, against this company violating their union agreement, and we urge every member of organized labor to visit their respective barber and others and to write this firm condemning their ac- ton and urging them to again estab fish friendly relations with organized labor and above all point out to them their responsibility i'll this matter.