The labor advocate. [volume], January 27, 1917, Image 1

About The labor advocate. [volume] (Cincinnati, Ohio) 1912-1937

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OHI' ' ' A TE
UNIVERSITY
JAN 3 0 11317
LIBRARY
41
I.
INDEPENDENT
NON-PARTISAN
Pv
fW'"!'
Property and Official Organ of the Building Trades Council of Cincinnati and Vicinity
' Vol. IV. No. 41
CINCINNATI, OHIO, JANUARY 27, 1917
One Doilui a Year
JfcldbgAdvocate
- J -SSMieSSrH'' X "N. "w
The
Bill to Abolish It, Being Endorsed By Organized Labor All Over Ohio. It Opens Up a Field
of Graft When Used in Labor Troubles. Central Labor Council Passed Resolutions
Against It. The International Union of Brewery Workers Reported That They Had
Withdrawn $193,000 Out of Kroger' s Bank. Street Car Men Want an Eight-Hour Day.
Big Meeting of the Central Body.
ThcCentral Labor Council, last Tues
day night, had one of the largest and
most enthusiastic meetings ever held by
that body.
Stop the Third Degree.
The council passed a resolution de
manding a law to prohibit the use of
the third degree by the police. In doing
so they have just followed in the foot
steps of all other central bodies in the
State in order to take this inquisitional,
brutal practice away from employers
who arc willing to pay the police to beat
their employes into submission. It's a
source of graft for a gang of brutes
who will do anything for nionev.
We are lucky that it docs not exist in
Cincinnati, as Safety Director Fried
lander has told us, in the daily press,
that no third degree is practiced in the
Queen City. Therefore, he can offer no
objection to the bill.
Thk Labor Advocate started the unlit
for the abolishment of the third degree,
and it is doomed for destruction. Many
a helpless man has been railroaded to
the penitentiary by these brutes, who
goUaway with it for years until 'they,
applied their methods to labor troubles.
TJiis opened up a better and surer way
to beat up union men than the strike
breaker could ever offer, and the un
scrupulous employer saw where he could
do-business with the brutes in the police
department with more safety than he
could the strikebreaker, hence the third
degree was applied as a means of break
ing a strike.
Itrcwers Quit Kroger.
The Central Council handled many
important matters. Among other things
the delegates to the International Union
of Brewery Workers reported that the
account of the union, totaling $l'.):j,noo,
had been withdrawn from the Provi
dent Bank, of which B. II. Kroger, of
the Kroger Grocery Company, is presi
dent, owing to the manner in which he
treated his teamsters. This menus that
the members of the Brewery Workers
will not patronize Krogcr's stores in
any city in the United States.
Other Matters of Interest.
That demands will be presented within
the next week to employers was an
nounced by a delegate from Women
Garment Workers' Union. He said
members arc asking for recognition of
the union, increase of wages, sanitary
working conditions and an eight-hour
.lay.
M. Eicborn, of the Milk Producer's
Association, addressed the council rela
tive to the milk strike which is in pro
gress between the distributors and pro
ducers. lie said that, owing to increase of cost
of feed for the cattle and other ex
penses, it is impossible for the farmer to
make a living from his product.
J. L. Dcvring, general organiser of
the International Brotherhood of Team
sters, Chauffeurs, Stablemen and Help
ers of America, said he did not think
the union should take any action in the
matter, as the distributors were ad
hering to agreement made with his
union several months ago.
W. D. Mahon, Detroit, International
President of the Amalgamated Associa
tion of Street and Electric Kaihvay Em
ploy cs. addressed the council on the
right-hour law, which is now before
the Ohio Legislature.
James Brock, International President
of the Laundry Workers' Union, com
mended the action of the laundry work
ers in Cincinnati in attempting to estab
lish a trades union laundrj in this city.
A strike which took place at the Pro
gress Cigar Factory, Third street, last
week, has been settled in the form of la
compromise. Forty girls walked out
there last week, demanding a dollar in
crease a thousand on stogies which the
union demands should be sold at $12
and $15 a thousand and which the com
pany is said to have sold at $7 a thousand.
Third
X 'V''' ' - - IdfiK" "" :''
GEO. P. GROSS
President Main Street Merchants' Association.
Geo. 1 Gross, the l'inno man, was elected President of the Main
Street Merchants.' Association last Tuesday. Mr. Gross, from n modest
beginning less than a decade ago to the highest honor that can he be
stowed upon a Main Street merchant, liis rise was nothing short of phe
nomenal and ho is certainly entitled to the congratulations of his friends.
The Central
Will Nominate Officers Next Tuesday Night. An Effort
Will Be Made To Shake Off the Influence
of the People's Power League.
The Central Labor Council will nomi
nate officers next week and a deter
mined effort will be made to shake off
the red flag influence of the People's
Power League.
The Council ought to name officers
that are real union men and cut all the
mountebanks out. If Bigelow has any
thing of interest to labor in his game,
why endorse it; if not, the Council
ought to refuse to do it. But at present
with Win. Prout as secretary, the mem
bers only hear such communications that
he thinks should be read. He is abso
lutely under the control of Mr. Bige
low and has used every effort to make
the Council a tail to Bigelow's kite. He
has lost his usefulness to labor if he
ever had any, by trying to make the
Council back up all the political schemes
of the People's Power League
ii ,, it akc.,,,, .Km nmla in every
1 tutu la j'iiii'n "" ;r .
public official in this city, and when the
Central body sends him out to fight their
Degree Must
Labor Council
cause thev might as well
end a red Hag
out to meet a hull.
The City Council would refuse to raise
their own salary if Prout asked them
to do so.
Hut on the other hand all that Pi out
wants is the ten dollars a week that the
job of secretary pays. He represents a
craft that is without a union shop in the
city. The only company that uses the
label has announced that they will move
to Kentucky.
Still Prout goes around talking about
"My Council," and "what I'll have the
Council do," and the only way to stop
him delivering the Council to whatever
schemes be wants is to elect some one
else in his place.
If the delegates will look over the
record thej will find that the only
stock in trade Prout has, is to bally
100 auainsi nuiuic uuiuuis, .um un.u
. .. ....i.i- -n:... '..,.. ...! ...lTn..t
. . . . w .
ten a week from the suckers m the
Council.
The New Mecca Caf
Put On the We -Don't -Patronize List of the Building
Trades Council Kohn, the Proprietor, Says He Hired
Union Gas and Electric Men That's the Kind
of Union Men He Wants.
Council Endorses the Action of the Central Labor Council
In Regard to the Kroger Grocery Company.
The regular meeting of the Building
Trades Council was called to order by
President Jos. A. Cullcn.
The minutes of the previous meeting
were read and adopted.
A communication from the Slate and
Tile Roofers named Fred Kapp, Sam'l
Specht and Ben W. Stewart as delegates
to the Council.
The brothers being present they were
duly obligated.
The following communication was
read and concurred in :
Cincinnati, 0., January Lt, 1017.
To the Building Trades Council, Greet
ings :
At the last regular meeting of the
Central Labor Council I was instructed
to notify all unions that the teamsters
employed at the Kroger Grocery and
Baking Company are out on strike for
li iug wages, shorter hours, and the
right to belong to a union.
Hie teamsters nave done even thing
within their power to settle this trouble,
but the Kroger Company will not allow
its men or women to organize, or to tell
the company what wages they will work
for, or under what conditions they will
w ork. '
The teamsters not only have this
strike on with the Kroger Company, but
sluggers and gun men are in the city to
beat, slug and help to defeat these union meet the prices of nonunion competi
.., (i..,, i,..,.o c,.v.;i;nc ,lonr.,,,li,,rr nn i tors. Regardless of this fact, we are
them for support lighting for the existence of our plant as
Kroger has stated that he would drive , a "' concern and with your help we
the union out of this citv. Will wir ! '"tend to wm. In winning, you will
organization stand bv anil, sec him do force those who are now operating non
it? If not. take it un with each and ""ion piece-work lactones to organize
every member of jour union and per -
r,...,i, i,n.v. n.,,1 i.ii- fnm;i;c tn L-ci-ii
awav from the Kroger stores
Kroger got out an injunction against
about -10 members of the teamsters' un
ion, but he can not get an injunction tell
ing j ou where to spend our money.
Please don't file this communication,
but lead it at every meeting, and call a
special meeting if necessary, so that all
vour members will know that The
Kroger Grocery and Baking Company is
unfair to organized labor.
Fraternally yours,
Wii.Mam Prout,
Secretary Central Labor Council.
P. S. Please have some of your mem
bers act as pickets and give us the names
of those that patronize these stores.
The following communication was
read pud concurred in :
Cincinnati, O., January 10, 1017.
To the Member:- of Organized Labor,
Greeting:
W'c, the newspaper carriers and coi
ner boys of this city and the over-thc-rivcr
cities, have formed an organization
known as Newspaper Carriers' Protec
tive Union Xo. 1.12S0, and have affiliated
ourselves with the Central Labor Coun
cil, in the hope of improving our condi
tions. We now asu all members oi or-
. , i , i .1.
canizeu labor ami uieir
friends to co-
t, e
operate with us in making a success of
r union, by patronizing us.
Go
t;
Buy our newspapers and magazines
from men or boys who wear our union
button.
Fraternally,
Newspaper Cakrieks' Protective Un
ion, No. 132S9.
Henry J. Braun,
Recording Secretary.-SecretaryV-address.lOO.'i
'St: Gregory,
Mt. Adams.
Chicago, January 22, 1917.
To Organized Labor, Greeting:
Our purpose in addressing this com
munication to you is to inform you of
our method of operating. About five
years ago our plant was organized at our
own solicitation; since that time we
have been operating as a strictly union
plant, having agreements signed up with
all the organizations represented in our
plant. Our caskets bear the labels of
the United Brotherhood of Carpenters,
the Upholsters and the Painters and
Decorators' unions. Every suit, robe or
dress bears the label of the Journejmen
Tailors' Union.
To maintain this union organization
we are paying our help an average of
one-third more than are our non-union
competitors, who work mostly under
piece-work regulations. There is no
piece-work in our plant.
We turn out goods that for quality
and workmanship are second to none
m America today and are obliged to
' Contrary to reports circulated by our
non-union competitors we have no af-
filiatioiis with any other houses but are
waging an individual fight single handed
forthe maintenance of the business prin
ciples we beliee to be just. Ifwe win
jou will have organized an industry
which is at present entirely non-union
with the exception of our plant.
For the above reasons set forth above
we believe we have the right to ask jou
as union men to lend lis jour support
in cases of bereavement in demanding
to see the label on the goods jou purch
ase. Very truly jours,
Wi:.sti-r.v Casket Compan
Ily D. S. Sattler, Prcs
The above is" a correct statement of
facts.
Chicago Federation of Labor
John Fitzpatrick,
President
E. M. Xockti.s,
Secrctarj
C. G. Cakleton,
President.
F. G. Hon',
Secretary of Chicago Trades Union
Label League.
J. II. Walker,
President Illinois State Federation of
Labor.
The following undertakers handle our
goods :
Jno. J. Gilligan. 31 .1 East Eighth St
Wrassman v IsarlKiicciu, n'i -Maui
c
Street
(Continued on page 2.1
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