Ribbon
Item
Title
Ribbon
Creator
Gustav Stickley Mutual Benefit Association
Date
1904
Medium
Silk, ink
Object No.
2018.9.1
Description
Aside from a few references to the annual picnic in Syracuse newspapers, little survives about the Gustave Stickley Mutual Benefit Association, and none of it details precisely what it did, how it worked, or how long it lasted. Based on the ribbon and the scant information available, the group must have started in 1903, as an outgrowth of a profit-sharing plan started the previous year. Writing in The Bulletin of the Bureau of Labor in 1904, Max West noted:
In 1902 a kind of profit sharing was introduced by setting aside $2000 to be divided among the workmen by a committee appointed by the men themselves. This sum was divided into shares of from $5 to $100, the amount awarded to each workman being based upon length of employment, character of work, and general deportment. This profit sharing will probably be continued under a somewhat different plan. The Gustav Stickley Mutual Benefit Society has been organized among the workmen for beneficial and social purposes, and meetings are held in the Craftsman building.
A description in The Post Standard of the first annual picnic at Lakeside Park depicts an event designed to bolster camaraderie amongst the workers through friendly competitions and fellowship, goals much in keeping with the stated aims of the movement. As the brief description is one of the few extant records, it is worth quoting in full:
Eastwood Men at Lakeside
The first annual picnic of the Gustave Stickley Mutual Benefit Association at Lakeside Park was attended by 1,000 people. The committee in charge comprised Charles Nauman, Edward Schirmer, J. F. Knauss, W. H. Egather and Robert Gilbert and they were assisted in their work by Mr. Stickley, the president of the company.
A 100-yard dash was won by Frank Woodrick. Mr. Grunder won the hop step and jump and the tug-of-war between the finishers and wood workers was won by the finishers. A baseball game between the Association team and that of the Mason Printing & Publishing Company resulted in a victory for the former by a score of 7 to 2.
The Syracuse Herald mentioned the group “held its regular monthly meeting” as late as January 11, 1907, and since officers were elected it presumably lasted beyond that, however no further mention of the organization has been located.
In 1902 a kind of profit sharing was introduced by setting aside $2000 to be divided among the workmen by a committee appointed by the men themselves. This sum was divided into shares of from $5 to $100, the amount awarded to each workman being based upon length of employment, character of work, and general deportment. This profit sharing will probably be continued under a somewhat different plan. The Gustav Stickley Mutual Benefit Society has been organized among the workmen for beneficial and social purposes, and meetings are held in the Craftsman building.
A description in The Post Standard of the first annual picnic at Lakeside Park depicts an event designed to bolster camaraderie amongst the workers through friendly competitions and fellowship, goals much in keeping with the stated aims of the movement. As the brief description is one of the few extant records, it is worth quoting in full:
Eastwood Men at Lakeside
The first annual picnic of the Gustave Stickley Mutual Benefit Association at Lakeside Park was attended by 1,000 people. The committee in charge comprised Charles Nauman, Edward Schirmer, J. F. Knauss, W. H. Egather and Robert Gilbert and they were assisted in their work by Mr. Stickley, the president of the company.
A 100-yard dash was won by Frank Woodrick. Mr. Grunder won the hop step and jump and the tug-of-war between the finishers and wood workers was won by the finishers. A baseball game between the Association team and that of the Mason Printing & Publishing Company resulted in a victory for the former by a score of 7 to 2.
The Syracuse Herald mentioned the group “held its regular monthly meeting” as late as January 11, 1907, and since officers were elected it presumably lasted beyond that, however no further mention of the organization has been located.