Montana labor news., 1937-06-17
LADIES: DON'T BUY
HOSIERY MADE BY
BERKSHIRE MILLS

OkN1A1Iu1Nk 1'I1GsS
The Berkshire Knitting Mills nor
mally employs $500 persons and is
the largest hosiery mill in the world.
1t makes approximately 10 per cent
of American hosiery production and
therefore dominates the wage and
price policies of all the other mills
in the country.
Ignored Relations Board
Following the general strike in
Berks County in 1888, a poll by the
National Labor Board was won in
the Berkshire mill by the American
Federation of Hosiery Workers by
vote of 1862 to 976. Following the
poll the mill ignored and violated
its agreement with the National La
Dor Board and instituted a company
union with the help of the notorious
Railway Audit and Inspection Blu
reau. 1t has helped circulate a sour
rilous and scandalous sheet called
The Hosiery Examiner" which in
a libel suit, has been forced to apollo
gize to the officials of our Union.
Berkshire officers contribute sub
s|tantially to the Liberty League. The
Berkshire corporation has been
identified with everything that is
most reactionary in our Pennsyl-
vania or national political life.
Through the efforts of the Ameri-
can Federation of Hosiery Workers,
the union wage scale, hours and con-
ditions prevailed even in the non
union shops because the latter were
fearful that their plants would be
organized if they did not maintain
conditions up to union standards.
Because of this the union scale and
conditions became the NRA code
scale and conditions. Following the
abolition of the MIRA by the U. S.
Supreme Court, hosiery mills of the
nation, thankful for the sterilization
due to a national uniform wage
scale, voluntarily agreed to main
tain code standards.
The strike today is against open
departure from this agreement and
these standards by the Berkshire
mills.
Girls Receive $500 a Week
Berkshire is paying girls $500 a
week who should be getting at least
the minimum wage of $500 speci-
fled in the code and still being paid
in all other hosiery mills. There are
almost four thousand girls working
in this plant. Perhaps five hundred
of them are now receiving the $500;
if the strike is unsuccessful $500 a
week will become the basic wage in
this plant.
Apprentice BuncO- Game
Berkshire is paying over $50
younger men, out of a total of 800,
$3.50 to $3.50 per week instead of
from $4,000 to $4,000, for doing the
work of skilled men. It tries to hide
this fact by calling it ian apprentice
SYSTEM" but the apprentices are ac-
tually doing the whole job. They
are not helpers OF learners in any
sense of the terms.
Berkshire is working three shifts
in some OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES code
violation. Berkshire worked a
grave yard" shift from 10 p. m. to
6 a.. m.
Violates Hosiery Code
The Hosiery Code calls for an
eight hour, five day work week. The
Berkshire has forced some of its en-
ployes to work as many as fourteen
a day. A number of men employees
in certain departments have been
working regularly a nine hour day
and As hour week.
Ten, eleven, and twelve hours a
day was common in the Berkshire
before the NRA and the workers are
fearful that those conditions will be
revived if the right to have a union
at the Berkshire is not won in this
strike.
If the Berkshire strike is lost, and
it will not be lost because of the
support given to it by the rest of
the labor movement, the Berkshire
chiselling will be forced upon all
other mills and chaos will prevail
in the hosiery industry. The manu-
facturers themselves, union and
non-union, have openly attacked the
Berkshire company for its policies.
These Are All Scab
Berkshire manufactures the fol-
lowing brands: Kantrum, Berkant-
run, Bernonrun, B%erunpruf, Dureel,
Durato, Daytime, Trimeel, B K M,
AS You Like 1t, Snuglette, Berklear,
Polaris, Bee Kay En-, Berksheer,
Shadow-Toe, Bestype, Duro-Toe,
Be-Lo-Nee, Crepetwist.
However, it sells to many stores
who put their own brand names on
the stockings. 1t is important in
talking with your local merchant to
insist that they not only stop buying
and offering for sale Berkshire