PROTOCOL, The Industrial, a juridical covenant formed in 1910 between the several associations of New York manufacturers, re spectively, of dresses and waists; of children's dresses; of ladies' underwear; of embroideries, and of house dresses and kimonos, and the 60,000 operatives employed by these industries. The agreement was brought about by the end less conflict between the manufacturers and the workers, resulting in a series of strikes and lockouts in which both sides were losers. The condition arose from the very large number of small individual manufacturers, who, in the necessities of keen competition, pursued widely diverse shop methods, some to the benefit but more to the detriment of the employees. Friends of the workers joined with them in an endeavor to stabilize working conditions and wage incomes, and the protocol resulted. The instrument established certain foundational rights and principles on behalf of the workers, and provided that these should be forced upon the Ic ss scrupulous individual manufacturers by the large associations who joined in the signing of the protocol. The manufacturers were as sured that there should be no strike; that work should continue, no matter what the dis pute, and that the differences should be referred to a board of arbitration, of which Justice Brandeis was the first chairman succeeded upon his elevation to the Supreme court by Justice Mack A board of standards of nine members was created, with three representatives of the manufacturers, three of the employees and three persons representing the public. Its office
was to enforce the provisional standards set forth in the protocol and adjust from time to time the conditions of pay to the market values of the work produced. The instrument pro vided for «fair and reasonable" betterments from time to time, both in working conditions and wages. This was the seed of disruption. the workers claiming that these betterments did not materialize as rapidly as they should, and an open break occurred in 1915. The mayor's 'Council of Conciliation,'" headed by Dr. Felix Adler as chairman, was successful in readjust ing the difficulty, and the protocol was re vived. It was again terminated in 1916, this time by the manufacturers, who claimed that the dictation of the union officials was ruinous to their business. The workers contended that the conduct of the business on the part of the manufacturers was so incompetent that they were shut out from the betterments which they had a right to expect. Since 1916 there has been much disturbance, and several strikes have occurred in spite of the provision of the protocol that work shall continue. The workers have gained substantial increases in wages and the 44-hour week. The protocol still remains as a psuedo-covenant, though hardly with its former prestige, both workers and manufac turers having lost faith in it.
The idea is regarded favorably by social workers and has been adopted in Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston.