St. Paul daily globe., 1888-01-31
BOYCOTT BEER.
The Milwaukee Brewers TrOub-
Los


les.
The st. Paul trades and labor organi-
ton having passed resolutions boycott
ing Milwaukee beer, it may be inter
eSting to the readers of the GLOBE to
hear a few facts concerning the trouble.
A circular recently issued by the Brew
ers' Association of Milwaukee goes into
the matter quite fully and gives the his
tory of the trouble, which is briefly as
( fbll0ws: The labOrers i'm the different
malt houses struck because they could
not agree with the prOprietOrs of the
malt houses about an increase in wages.
iThe prOprietOrS could not concede to
the demand of the laboIers and en-
ployed fresh workingmen. The strikers
denounced the malt as scab malt.
S.On the 4th of October, 1887, the sec
retary of Brewers, Union No. 8
addressed letter to the Brewers
association, pointing out the trouble be-
tween the strikers and the proprietors
of the malt houses, i'm which it was ad-
tory excepting the price. This letter
also stated that union brewers would
handle only union malt, in accordance
with resolution Of the national coll
yentiOn of brewers employees in De-
troit.
0 Three breweries, the Cream City, Mil
ler's and Gettelmann's, had contracts
with different malt dealers whose malt
had been pronounced scab malt by the
strikers. These breweries were legally
bound to carry out their contract with
the malt houses, and declared their in
tention of doing so. The Brew,
erS' Union No. 9 then issued
and had distributed the following
circular: 'Fellow worllingmen and citi-
Zens! Attention! The following brew
cries are using non-union malt: Fred
Miller, Adam Gettelman and Cream
City Brewing Co. of Milwaukee, Ernst
Klinkert, Racine, Wis. Since the prod
uct of only those breweries can be con-
Sidered as union beer that are using
union malt, it consequently follows that
the beer of the aforementioned brew
cries is non-uniOn beer. Fellow work
: men and citizens! Whenever you come
= to any saloon or restaurant that is sell
ing the beer of the above-named brew
cries, you surely know what to do in Or
der to help honest labor in securing its
just demands and rights.
''Fraternally yours.
"BREWERS' d MATTERS UNION No. 9,
milwaukee, Wis"
Now the Brewers Union No. were
under an agreement with the Brewers
Association, which was to the effect that
any complaints of 1abOrerS had to be
made first to the foreman of the brewery,
then to the brewery proprietor: and,
should no satisfaction be given from
either or both of these persons, board
of arbitratOrS was to be formed-to be
appointed one by the brewery proprie-
tor, one by the brewers union, and the
two thus appointed to select one umpire
the decision of this board to be final.
Regardless of the above agreem ent
the Brewers union issued the circ ular
mentioned boycotting the three brew
cries. The Brewers association then
addressed circular to the union setting
out the facts, and pointing out the fact
that the association had dealt literally
with the union in every respect. They
had shortened the time of labor, had
conceded higher wages, had paid for
Sunday work and overtime an extra
price of SO per cent, had yielded to the
demand to employ only members of the
| uniOn-in fact, had accommodated the
union in every way. and patiently suf-
fered chicaneries and grumbling only
for the sake of peace. The same circu-
lar also contained notice that inasmuch
+ as the Brewers and Maltsters' Union
t3No. 9 had damaged the business of
several members of the Brewers asso-
Eeiation in violation of the agreement
with the union, that they the Brewers
association considered the said agree
hent as broken by Union No. 9.
I =, At the same time the Brewers assO-
citation, in a letter to their workmen,
stated that as the Brewers Union No. 9
had broken their agreement they would
( henceforth not be recognized by the as
[ sDeiation, but nevertheless the associa-
tiOn would try to keep up good under
+ standing with the woIkmen, the same
wages would be paid and the same
Hours maintained, and protection and
permanent work would be guaranteed.
las Instead of appointing the board of ar
hltrators OF trying to come to an AMIGA
Die SetNement, the national executive
of the United Brewery employees sent
out circular stating that the proprie-
tors of breWeries and malt houses in
Milwaukee, Wis, had violated the
written contract with the Brewers
Union No. 8 by refusing to acknowledge
the unions of the organized labOrerS, and
stating that all union men We're dismissed
and thrown out into the street in the
middle of the winter. The above state
mentS by the national executive are ut
terly false and direct misrepresenta-
tions, as it was not the proprietors of
the breWeries who violated the contract
but the members of Union No. 9. The
prOprietorS have not declared that they
would not acknowledge organized labor,
nor have they dismissed any union man
for being faithful to his principles as a
union man. The fact is, that while
these very same union men of No. 9
were employed by the Milwaukee brew
ers and receiving their wages there
from, they were stirring up trouble
with the brewers in other
cities by circulating false state
mentS about their employers. The
union claim that the Brewers aSsocia-
ton broke the agreement, but such is
not the case. If the association had
done wrong, why did the union not
call for the board of arbitratOrs? The
reports of the union itself show that in
different breweries in Milwaukee the
StipulatiOnS of the agreement have been
adhered to, and they say they do not
feel justified in proceeding against such
breweries. Why then do they declare
all Milwaukee beer scab beer? and ask
their members to boycott Milwaukee
beer?
Mr.. Louis Herbrand, the secretary of
the national executive committee of the
United Brewers LaborerS of the United
StateS,in circular states that the Brew
erS' association refused to confer with
member of the national executive for
peaceable adjustment, but his state
ment is misleading, if not altogether
false. The fact is, he was in Milwaukee
several days without asking confer
ence with the Brewers association, but
on the eve of his departure he wrote to
some brewery proprietors and left
without waiting for an answer. Such
way of treating with the brewery pro-
prietors will not hasten the desired end
ing of this trouble. Neither the Knights
of Labor nor the unions have partici-
pated in the unsuccessful boycott, and it
{ is generally conceded that the leaders of
Union No. 9have acted hastily and pro-