of the facts of the complaint. He may then take it up with the foreman, but the foreman is not required to discuss the complaint with him and may refer him to the other channels for adjusting complaints.

"The shop chairman thus became the representative of the workers on the premises of the firm. Individual workers file their grievances with the chairman, who takes the matter up with the shop representative of the firm. If the chairman of the shop does not succeed in adjusting the matter, the grievances are brought (by the shop chairman) to the attention of the respective deputy. The deputy then takes the matter up with representative of the labor complaint department of the firm."

In February, 1914, representatives of 5,000 workers of the firm met to celebrate the success of their relationship after three years of peace. A most enthusiastic reception was given to Sidney Hillman, Chief Deputy for the workers. By this time, the agreement was recognized as a great achievement not only by those directly concerned with its operation but by the public and the press as well.

"No occasion in all Chicago's industrial history," said the Chicago Daily News, "has more clearly demonstrated how much more practical and profitable peace is than war, and how much more essential to peace and prosperity is the democracy of good will than any kind of oligarchy in industry is history in the making here in Chicago."

This

In the fall of 1914 came the break from the United Garment Workers and the appearance of the new organization which later became the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. Neither this great change in the organization of the workers, nor the subsequent general strikes of 1915-16 that tied up other clothing houses, affected the agreement of Hart, Schaffner and Marx with its organized employees. Recognizing the facts as they were, the firm continued the agreement with locals of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers that it had begun with the United Garment Workers, and during the general strike in the fall of 1915, the agreement continued in effect, so that no stoppages occurred among the workers of Hart, Schaffner and Marx.

On May Day of 1915, A. D. Marimpietri, head of the Joint Board of Hart, Schaffner and Marx workers issued a call to all clothing workers to celebrate May Day as the International Labor Day. It was the first attempt to do this and the response was beyond all expectations. Over 10,000 workers paraded through the clothing district, halting outside of the unorganized shops. The effect of the whole demonstration on the unorganized workers was tremendous. This May Day parade, aided by wide publicity in the daily press, did much toward laying the foundations for the general strike in the fall of 1915.

The next significant event in the history of the collective agreement with Hart, Schaffner and Marx came when the agreement of 1913 was to expire in 1916. The great figure of the year was Mr. J. E. Williams, Chairman of the Board of Arbitration, to whose efforts the renewal of the agreement is credited. Mr. Williams himself called the signing of the agreement his "crowning experience" as a labor adjuster. In discussing the character of the union in connection with the renewal of this agreement, Mr. Williams

wrote:

"There were those among the disbelievers in collective bargaining who foresaw the rupture of the Hart, Schaffner and Marx agreement in this settlement. There were those who believed that the union, after its five years of solidarity, would use its power to throttle the company All these ex

pectations were negatived by the result. Five years of power, instead of making the union arrogant, has only given it a sense of restraint and responsibility. It has proved that, guided by honest and intelligent leaders, the workers may be trusted with power, that industrial democracy is not a dream, but a potential reality."

Not that there were no serious problems at the moment to complicate the situation; serious questions of wage increases and reductions in hours presented in fact great difficulty, but the habit of collective bargaining that had been developed in the course of the previous five years of agreement, together with what Mr. Williams called "The Will to Agree," prevailed over the difficulties.

The agreement itself was the result of negotiations and conferences over demands of the union, which included, among other things, an increase in wages, the 48-hour week, the continuation of the Trade Board and Board of Arbitration as now constituted, and the preferential shop. Two weeks before the date for the expiration of the old agreement, the new agreement was signed for another period of three years, from May 1, 1916, to April 30, 1919. On the matter of hours a compromise was reached with the establishment of the 49-hour week. At the date of signing of the agreement, a 10 per cent. increase was granted, which the union, instead of applying horizontally, distributed in such a way as to give the lowest paid workers the greatest benefit. This action was cited by Mr. Williams as a proof that the union was highly developed, capable of self-control, and eminently fit to hold power.

The important provisions of the agreement of 1916 are substantially the following:

1. The old agreement and decisions based thereon, are to remain in force unless modified by or conflicting with this agreement.

2. The Board of Arbitration is to have full and final jurisdiction over all matters under this agreement, and decisions of the Board are to be conclusive. Members of the Board are to be: Mr. Thompson, Mr. Meyer, and Mr. Williams.

3. The emergency clause of the 1913 agreement is renewed. 4. The Trade Board is to continue as before, as the primary board for adjusting grievances. The following important addition was made to the rules for Deputies:

"The Union deputy shall have access to any shop or factory for the purpose of making investigations of complaints; but he shall in all cases be accompanied by the representative of the employer. Provided that the latter may, at his option, waive his right to accompany him, also that in minor matters where convenience or expedition may be served, the union deputy may call out the shop chairman to obtain information without such waiver."

5. Shop representatives (or shop chairmen) are specifically mentioned in the agreement and their duties and powers defined. The shop chairman is recognized as the duly accredited representative of the Joint Board, having charge of complaints and

organization matters in the shop. He is to receive complaints and have opportunity to investigate them, he may collect dues, etc., as long as it does not interfere with shop discipline or efficiency; and he must do all in his power to promote good wili and cooperation.

6. Detailed procedure is outlined for the handling, investigation, and presentation of grievances, appeals, and for the enforcement of decisions.

7. Piece rate committees take up changes in all cases where changes are contemplated.

8. The preferential shop clause is to remain effective, as before.

9. The limitations on discharge of workers as provided in 1913 agreement remain in effect.

10. Stoppages are considered serious violations of the spirit of the agreement.

11. Workers are not to be detained in shops when there is not enough work.

12.

Employes are to be notified of complaints against them so that they can notify a deputy.

13. Lay off of union workers is only permitted in case of alternation in slack times, reorganization, or reduction in sections, lawful discipline, etc.

14. During slack season work is to be divided equally, as far as possible, among all the workers.

15. Absence without cause or notification is equivalent to quitting.

16. Workers displaced by abolishment of sections are to be replaced in work as much like the old work as possible.

17. Workers absent because of sickness will up to a reasonable length of time be reinstated.

18. The provisions for preference require that the union keep its door open to the admission of non-union workers. Dues and initiation fees must not be prohibitive.

19. All provisions of the old agreement, except where superseded or conflicting with these, are to remain in effect.

From 1916 to 1919, a period of world war and unsettled economic conditions, the agreement and those who worked with it were confronted with new and unexpected problems. Fortunately the law of the industry proved itself elastic enough to meet such rapidly changing conditions. In January, 1917, 2 per cent. was added to the wages of piece workers, in addition to the 10 per cent. granted at the time