Evening journal., 1891-05-19
LAST EDITION
BOSSES FORCED TO AGREE.
BAKERS LEAVE THEIR
DOUGH SUMMARlLY

Hours More Money and Union Labels.
4 All the local members Of the National
Journeymen Bakers and Confectioners'
h Union, No. IS, of Wilmington, went on
u strike last night, and the action caused
Il much excitement among the bakers and
II others interested IN this industry. The
q strike came on so suddenly that the boss
bakers did not know what action TO take
n toward getting ready their supply Of
n bread for this morning
n The story of the whole affair is as fol-
lows: About one year ago the journey
Il men made an objection to the way they
I were being treated. Some Of them had
II good homes and were well satisfied, but
4 many Of them were compelled to work
III eighteen hours day at limited wages
Il and then received common food and poor
N lodging.
" It is a well-known fact that the sum
@ mer season is much buster time to the
@ baker than cooler weather. He is obliged
N to turn out fully twice the amount of
Il bread that he would in winter time
Il Then the housewives do nearly all their
Il own baking, but in the warm season they
II do very little Of it,
~ summer season last year that the bakers
a made their demands, They did not press
II them, however, as so many of the
81 bosses were then paying their workmen
NJ well After that the union was greatly
n strengthened and the leaders secured
81 he old Weccscoe engine house as their
n headquarters, calling it the Labor
al Lyceum Associations building. When
"a this warm season came many of the
b bakers were in the same position as be-
II fore. The leaders evidently decided that
ri to remedy TIE evil all would have to
II suffer, both good and bad
Accordingly they summoned every
& iourneyman in the city to assemble at
the headquarters yesterday afternoon
n When all the men were in the building
# the doors were locked and kept so until
N an hour before the time for the men to
II go to work. Then a message was sent
TO each boss baker in the city, telling
q them to come to the hall at once.
The bosses at once realized what was
If wanted, although they had not been
previously warned in any way, and as
III one expressed it 1.-THE props were
@ knocked right from under us. Many Of
a them went to the hall. where they were
II confronted by the officers of the union
u who had prepared a long agreement
n which read about as follows
Contract of BAKERS and Confection.
n ers' Union, No. 7S. of Wilmington,
# Delaware, made this 18th day of May
with the boss bakers of Wilmington:
We, the undersigned boss bakers, do
hereby promise and by our signatures do
bind ourselves to grant and strictly full
fl the following demands made by the
@ Journeymsn Bakers and Confactioners'
Union. Ne 78, of Wilmington This
contract goes into effect this 18th day of
May, 1891, and is to be in effect one
year
I'VE domand the following:
"Firstly. Ten hours shall constitute
days work except from Friday to
Saturday when twelve hours shall be
reckoned Six days shall constitute q
weeks work.
Secondly. The wages shall be $14 to
SIC for first hands $40 to $l2 for second
hands and 81 to SO for third hands
Thirdly. Each hour over ten hours
work shall be paid for at the rate of
twenty cents per hour.
"Fourthly. No baker shall board or
room with his boss.
"Fifthly None but union bakers shall
u be employed and each boss must take
back his old hands.
''Sixthly. Each boss baker must make
union will furnish the labels free Of
charge to such boss bakers as employ
one or more journeymen A boss baker
who employs no hands must pay for
these labels at the rate of 80 cents per
1000. The labels shall remain in the
care of the journeymen employed in the
various shops"
The startled bosses stood in the hall
while their workmen were pointed out to
them and they were informed that unless
Il they conceded to the demands and signed
the agreement, the bakers could not
return to work Many of the bakers
looked beseechingly at their employers
with Wont you bail me out7" ex-
preston on their faces, and the bosses
thought Of the rising sponge at their
shops.
About a dozen OF them reluctantly
81 signed the contract and their workmen
were allowed to return with them. The
others refused to do so and were com
PEELED to search help as quickly al
possible to get out their morning batch
The label spoken Of is piece of white
II paper about an inch square. On it il
printed the following: National Union
Made. Registered" with the unions
coat-of-arms It Is held by the union
man in the country will use the bread
but IL the label is not used. the union
and all the mechanics. tradesmsn ano
laborers, especially those connected with
labor unions, will boycott the bread anc
the manufacturer.
M. T. DRnnenberg of Twelfth anC
Walnut streets, who was one of the first
e to sign the agreement, was seen thii
morning, and said that when he signed
he did so with the impression that every
boss baker in the city would do like
wise BE said that the agreement
would not make any difference in his
business, as he already paid $14 pei
week to his best bakers "Bui
that clause about putting labels on the
bread, did then and do now, wholly
ignore. Why will not allow thost
things to 20 on my bread if / have Il
close my doors why my best customer
would leave me in disgust. as they know
that those stickers are licked exactly
like postage stamp aud slapped on the
loaves.
John Hirzel Of Ninth and Poplar
streets, said that he had never had any
trouble with his men and all hands were
satisfied "The whole trouble, he said
lis that there is a party of bakers il
this city who are just like the German
Socialists and are constantly calling
these meetings.
gPnblic Sale of Printing Material.
On Wednesday, May 27, the entirl