The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-06-22
THE WORKING PEOPLE.


Prog 'ess of the Eight-Hours' movement.
The New York journals give more minute
particulars of the strikes In that city anu
vicinity than the accounts transmitted by tele-
graph. From these extended reports we e6-
tract the following intelligence:
The sugar refners strike for two dollars
and halt for eight hours labor per day, was
commenced by the Sugar Retners Soclety,
Recently Organized and consisting of four
thousand members, principally Germans. On
Monday a delegation of four hundred strikers
assemblet at Durant's foundry, with the OBJECT
Of Influencing the hands, principally lrlshmen,
empsoved in that establishment and working
for tan hours q day. A disturbance occurred,
which was suppressed BY the police.
The sugar reflnerles in New YORK, VIII
liamsburc and Jersey City are twenty
three, and the molasses rehneries are 1our IN
number. These establishments employ nYe
thousand sugar bakers and TWO tnousan9 nVe
hundred laborers, coopers and cartmen. Near
ly all these sugar rehneries, 1t Is stated, are
closed, The manufacturing sugar refnerles
have also formed an association 10 prOCecC
their interests. at recent meeting OF tnls
association 1t was asserted that the Time CHOSEN
for the strike was very favorable 10 tne manu-
facturers and highly disadvantageous 10 the
dissatisfied workmen, as the stock OF refined
sugar on hand has for some time past been IN
creasipp. The sugar bakers, 1t is asserted,
have been receiving frc 70 forty-three to forty-
eight dollars mouth, and II some instances
as much as one hundred dGilars o monGn
has been paid to firstelass workmen. In
addition, employers generally have 1ur-
nished unlimited quantities ct lager beer,
costing about six dollars month per man.
The strikers, however, demand TWO doliars
and fifty cents per day, and twenty-five cents
an hour for extra work. Anotner strlke nas
occurred in the works OF the Metropolitan
Gas Company, OF New York. About ten days
AGO the eight-hour system, with no reduction
of wages. was introduced Into this estaoiisn- %,
ment. The men had previously worked III
shifts of twelve hours, and the cnange ren-
dered necessary the employment OF tnree
gangs, working eight hours each; NV men Iasai
bad, therefore, to be put on. ana aiacuisiTs sn
the management of the retorts. The offending
workmen were then dismissed, and me en-.
tire gang of the old wOrkmen lmmeoHteiy
struek 10 procure the reinstatement OF tne
discharged hands. This demand was refused,
and the twelve-hour system was resIorsa ~
with an advance of twenty.fv per cent. 10
wages. The coachmakers' strike In New
YorkIhas ended by the return of the mea 70
work upon the ten-hour system, and at the
old rates of wages. This course seems to
have been brought about by the action OF the
workmen In the Brewster factory. Inc Work,
men of this establishment have Tor several
wears been united In an Industrial association,
managed by q board of directors elected from
their own number, with one member CT Tue
Arm as president. The association has e8ten,
slye powers, and could nave raised
the rates of wages, and by tWo-tnlrds
vote could have put the eignt-nour
system In force. Notwithstanding this pow.
err the workmen resolved 10 strike ana
stopped the operations of the establishment,
INIT. after further reflection and serious con-
sideratlon of the advantages and dleadVan-
races OF the movement, they determined 10
recede from their demands, aud at general
meeting of the coachmakers voted 10 60 Dack
TO work. There are rumors OF strlke among
the men employed by the Iron safe manulac-
tnrers, and also among the dressmakers eEi-
Moved by A. T. Stewart. The coopers IN Jer-
sey City. one hundred and hlty IN NUMBER,
are still on the strike. The complaints OF the
mea do not refer to wages, but TO the materlai
furDished, which is 30 poor that Inc men can
not earn more than ten dollars or twelve dol
lars week.
The BARRIERS OF New York have formed an
organization to solicit their employers TO
keep their shops open from seven O'CLOCK IN
the morning to ten O'Clock In the evening on
Saturday; from seven O'Clock In the morning
10 noon on Sunday; and from seven O'CLOCK IN
the morning 20 eight o'clock In the evening
on the other days OF the week. AZ present,
the shops open at six O'Clock, and close from
one TO two hours later thau the respective
times mentioned. 1t Is stated that the masCer
BARRIERS have expressed Willingness 10 ac-
cede TO the requests of the journeymen.