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EDITIONThe Grievances of the Button Workers of Muscatine, IowaAND WHAT. THEY WANTwf ‘ '-'t •*tAddressed to the Governor of Iowa, the citizens of Muscatine County, % The stntrH-AQ T ^ j at, x ithe business men of Muscatine and all friends of justice, good business and good | seventeenth fcuthdav fJlT ^ f ?° chl d wbo bas Dot reacb^ citizenship: 6 L-fil T w Udhday sba11 be ““pnsoned or kept within the enclosure of anyWe appreciate the prompt discharge of these children by the courta penod of fifteen years, pearl button manufacturing has become the *nmtTM 7 * * t a»v,principal permanent labor employing industrj7- of the city.We charge that the grievances hereinafter complained of are due to the conduct of the eight or nine firms or corporations whose factories employ a large portion of all of the button workers of Muscatine, namely: McKee Bliven Button Co., Hawkeye Pearl Button Company, The Pioneer Button Company, Leo H. Hirsch Co., Amsterdam Button Co., Vienna Pearl Button Mfg CoThe Automatic Button Co., U. S. Button Co.We charge and stand ready to submit proof of the following facts:1—That by deception and fraud, in false weights and counts, our cm-ployers have in recent months deprived many of us of our just pay for work done, so that we have recently received from twenty-five to fifty per cent, less pay than we received for the same amount of work two years ago.2 That in the presence of the Governor of Iowa, on April 29tli, 1911,our employers above named entered into a written contract with us which con-toms the signatures of said firms, our representatives and also that of Hon. B.F. Carroll, governor of Iowa.That said contract has been broken and repudiated by our employers ; and we have been injured, and the Governor of Iowa has been treated with ! contempt, by the firms or corporations who are parties to the said contract.3—That by fraudently reducing our pay so that our necessities have required the immediate use of all moneys earned and instituting a system of I discounts at the rate of five per cent, per week on our earnings if we collected them three days after they were due, or else requiring the workers to wait ten days for their pay, many of our employers have taken our money from us at the rate of 110% per annum ou every dollar earned each week ;where the discount system is in use. An illustration of this system is found • in the following assumption: ■Let us presume that on January 1st, 1910, a button worker left his last week’s wages amounting to $10.00 with his employer and one year afterward he asked for it and was told that there was a so called discount charge of fifty cents a week for fifty-two weeks or $26.00, that his ten dollars would be kept on account of the debt and he owed the balance of $16.00 to his employer.VMira^ 'Ouf employers agreed not to discriminate against us by reason ofkill I l MX “t' C* r \ I •» »* « a _ I i 1 I V A _£sera*»our membership in our union, but hundre ds of our members have had their Id- «.comes reduced and have been abused, while many others have been discharged 1blacklisted-and locked out for no reason except the fact that they were mem-‘ f bers of our union. -5—Onr union is our only means of defence against the dishonesty fraudand oppression of our employers. We complain because of onr employers'efforts to destroy our union has deprived us of onr means to earn a living andtoi-ced us to secure funds from organized labor to maintain a commissary and tree eating room for our unfortunate members, 6—-We complain of the unsanitary conditions under which we arecompelled to work, the lack of fans, blowers and appliances to remove thepoisonous shell dust from the air of the working rooms; we call attention tothe fact that if the button factories of Muscatine were moved two miles eastand operated for one hour in the manner they are operated in Muscatine allthe factory owners would be criminals subject to a fine aud imprisonment foroperating their factories filled with poisonous dust in violation of the Illinois statutes.We ask the Legislature of Iowa to enact a law which will protect our health from vicious factory conditions which cause eight out of every ten of our members to suffe?: with catarrh and throat trouble.7 We object to the manufacturers’ effort to create fear and prejudice m our city by making false threats to move their- factories away. ‘We recommend that the factory owners read the factory and labor laws of other states, for the purpose of finding another state in all the United ■States where they could more safely cheat, injure and oppress their- employees than they do m Iowa.^ There is no other place where they can get snch intelligent, efficc-nt service for the price they have heretofore paid us A little serious consideration of the history of the button industry, the factory and labor laws of other states, and the labor market and wage conditions throughout the United States will quickly convince any citizen of Muscatine county that the threat to move the factories is a silly act of deception.,, . 8rrT? ^!e taxPay_er« of Muscatine county we complain of the acts ofthe sheriff of this county m bringing foreign, non-resident men of questionable character and no occupation into the city of Muscatine, authorizing them to act as deputy sheriffs, and then attempting to stand before the public as a wise man aud a hero, while his official actors, under the cover of authority, proceed to establish, fake breaches of the peace, make false arrests and do other unlawful acts for the sole purpose of creating prejudice against the button workers; to thereby aid certain citizens of the county to cheat, oppress and injure men and women, whose necessities force them to remain under the control of citizens whose selfishness and greed for money exceeds their conscience orsympathy for those enduring suffering, hardship and abuse. Muscatine was peaceful until these sluggers arrived, while here they must have some dis-turbauce as an excuse for collecting their money and holding their jobs.We call attention to the fact there has been no violence or disorder in Muscatine except during the periods when the “deputies from abroad,” commended by the “misguided business men,” have been in town.g We charge the sheriff of the county of Muscatine with unlawful conduct and acts tending to mcite to riot and disorder, when in gross violation of the law of Iowa he has incarcerated boys and girls of ages ranging from 11to 14 years in the jail of Muscatine county.t .10—We charge that the chief of police of Muscatine has been guilty of conduct unbecoming a peace officer and acts tending to incite riot and disorder. He has caused one of our members, a pure, defenseless girl to be imprisoned m the company of law breakers of the other sex in violation of law and that he has arrested button workers and held them without authority of law, refused them food and drink and the priviledge of counsel.Another young woman has been arrested and thrown into jail without cause and the chief of police has held her in legal custody for four days and continues to so hold her without exhibiting any legal record of a chargeagamst her or permitting her to come before a magistrate for a hearing or making a written charge against her as required7feby, lawr * ■: •11—We complain of the conduct of the police judge ahd the cbieb.a police of Muscatine in depriving defendants•’^•’Srpwho are button workers and members of bur union, the right to a trial by juiwfor the reason specified by the chief of police that “no jury would convici them,” anrl then the said magistrate proceeds to fine and imprison the defendants for no apparent purpose except to incite prejudice and enmity be-tween the citizens of our city.We know that the officers and counsellors of the Button Workers’ Protective Union are the most efficient conservators of the peace in Muscatine, They are constantly advising and persuading all citizens to forget, forgive and submit to the vicious conduct and unlawful acts of the so called conservators ofthe peace; that is, the sheriff, the chief of police and the armed foreign sluggers acting as county officers.% * - • -#12—On October 3rd, 1911, the button manufacturers succeeded in gathering over three hundred of the business men into a meeting -which they passed a resolution containing the following:The history which resulted in the present situation conclusively shorn t ornized labor as exemplified especially in the Pearl Button Worker.Union, is largely a mask for economic fallacies that make against social 01der and permanent prosperity.”. • •Our objectionable economic fallacies are simply a demand for con mon honesty and fair* dealing; they tend toward “social order and per mi ,hent prosperity.’ We challenge the button manufacturers to bring theiforum of public opinion and their answer to ou grievances. Then you can draw your * own'conclusionsabout righteoui ness, truth, good order and prosperity among the people.A—We have shown that the manufacturers in conforming to theeconomic ideals have deceived and broken faith with the Governor -;Iowa.«B—We have shown that the manufacturers have broken and r pudiated their contract with us.C—We have shown that by craft and cunning through a so calls system of discount, the manufacturers have deprived our members their just earnings at the rate of $26.00 per year each, or $26 000 1on each 1,000 of our members who suffer this wrong.■D—That the manufacturers cheat us by an arbitrary system of cour mg the buttons made by us, so that upon the whim of our employers we mi be compelled to make from 200 to 300, or more, buttons for each gross pa for and yet the manufacturer cards and sells all of them.E-Ono of the button manufacturers is a stockholder in Senat Lomner s La Salle Street National Bank of Chicago, of which the Chicago I ter-Ocean is the official organ. The Inter-Ocean sent a reporter to see iMuscatine friend and then published an article which every person who h even a slight knowledge of the pearl button industry, or even common senlt; knows to abound m falsehood and mis-statements. It tells about a button cutt receiving $30.00 per week, sorters $16.00 per week and societyfolks .buttons at church socials, while riding in automobiles, or while' launch nU on the river for the sum of one and one half cents a gross. Then the Beeof Muscatine, the official mouthpiece of the button manufacturers, quotes Inter-Ocean in full, declares its article to be true, and to increase strifeferment trouble in our city, the reprint is circulated throughout our city.%Disregard for the Governor of Iowa, contract breaking, bad fa cheating in counts, weights and measures, filching by tricks and cunning citing not, breeches of the peace, prejudice and anger; importing and offici qualifying lawbreakers who are not residents of the State of Iowa contito the spirit, purpose and intention of Sec. 510 of the Code of Iowa dcneedless injury to the health of large numbers of the citizens, denying U rights to the button workers, are not acts tending toward “social order,” pe; good fellowship and happiness in our city; these acts on the part of the bu( manufacturers and their aids should not be commended.Why should the citizens of Muscatine give their sympathy and mi support to a small group of men whose greed and whose moral and ideals and conduct is so destructive to the city’s welfare.FRED RAY, President LEROY JOHNSON, Vice-President O. a WILSON, Business Agent MISS PEARL McGILL, Recording-Sec.DANIEL BORGSTADT, Fin.Sec.-Treas.Claus Lemkau Frank Fuller Anna Richley Pearl McGillMembers ofthi Executive IJohn Tetrick 0. C Wilson Emma Drisch
Newspaper Details
Muscatine Button Workers Bulletin
Muscatine, Iowa, US
Thu, Oct 05, 1911
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Musser P.
IA, USA 18 Nov 2018
Other Publications Near Muscatine, Iowa
Muscatine Journal and News Tribune
New Indexed Atlas of Muscatine County Iowa
Atlas of Muscatine County Iowa
Muscatine Daily Journal
Muscatine Weekly Journal
