St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1949-11-04

wear management anu ING lOChl
ton of Hosiery Workers recent
and included q section guarantee 1
ing fair employment practices in
the Strutwear plant by manage
ment and the union.
The agreement, almost unprece-
dented in local or national indus
try, Is titled MISREPRESENTATION
Policy" and sets forth:
The Union and the Employer
recognize the need for and the
advantages Of hiring and ad-
uniting 10 union membership
capable employees without re-
gard to race, color, creed, ma
tiOnal origin or ancestry"
strutwear has followed this
policy for several years but this
is the first time it has been made
an official part Of the union con-
tract John Sherman, Vce-presi-
dent and industrial relations
manager Of the firm said Monday.
Union Proud Of Part
Dave Ellis, president of the
employees union at Strutwear, and
Jim Tbbets, shop chairman, said
they were proud TO work for a
company that agreed to such a
contract and happy to be mem
bers of a union that is democra-
tic and American enough to see
the value in employment fair play
and democracy.
Fine Spirit Pervades
The writer chatted with COM
pany officials like young serious
Lawrence Henninger, Strutwear
president, who at 40 heads one
of the nations outstanding lin
gerie and hosiery firms.
Henninger seemed quietly proud
of every one of the over 900 en-
ployees of the firm. Apparently
he knows most of them by name.
He chatted quietly with Marian
Majors, Oldest Negro employe in
point of seniority as photographer
Buzz Brown snapped pictures.
Henninger himself worked up
from the ranks to head the firm
whose products are sold all over
the world.
The enthusiasm which rank and
file employees seem to have for
the Strutwear firm and its prog
ress was contagious. There was
an easy friendly familiarity be-
tween workers on the line and
white collar management, and an
almost total lack of the oppres-
sive compulsory discipline OBJ
served in many factories. We
were told that the lack of pres
sure on employees apparently i'm
proved rather than retarded pro-
duction totals.
The story was related of an
outstanding hosiery machinery
engineer who supervised the re-
cent installation Of new machines
at the plant. The engineer, who
had spent time in q large number
of plants, was amazed at the re-
Taxed work habits Of the employees
and their general cheerfulness.
He was further amazed when he
learned of the high production
rates per employe.
Workers and Management Share
Back of the apparent high
morale, cooperation between man
agement and labor resulting in
such departures as the non-dis-
criminatory employment pact are
q network of cooperative ven
lures which probably makes for
the big happy family atmosphere
prevalent at the plant.
This cooperative partnership
extends to such equally manned
joint labor committees as Job
Evaluation, Suggestions, the nom
profit cafeteria, the credit union,
safety committee and employees
store.
EmpIOye Benefits
Out of the joint efforts Of COM
mittees composed Of equal repre-
sentation by management and
the workers have come such ad-
vantages as two weeks vacation
with pay, five holidays with pay,
a group insurance with excellent
benefits which protect the sick or
injured worker and his depend
ents.
The fine spirit at strutwear is
phenomenal in contrast to that OF
many industries where strife and
distrust is always under the sur
face of employer-worker rela-
tons.
Union officials and the en-
pIoyes cali the plant our" plant