The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-01-28
Tho boss I,ntchrrs' Slide OF tho Case.
To he Editor Of he IItelii1cncer

40 Me EdH0r " he Ih'efigcnccT.
Hs JANUARY Goth, 1892.
In reply to tho advertisement OF the
journcylnen butchers in some OF tho
papers l would say that tho public is
not aware OF tho facts in relation to tho
difficulty between tho butchers bosses
and tho journeymcn butchers.
The fact Is, in the first place tho Jour-
ncymen butchers came 10 the bosses
and asked them TO sign scale OF twelve
hours for days work, beginning ut o
o'clock q. m. and quitting ut G o'clock
p. M, with time enough to cat three
meals. Tho boss butchers did not re-
fuse to sign twelve-hour contract, but
tho public knows that the butcher is
expected in the markets long before G
o'clock in the morning. Now, ii We arc
to comply with the iourneymen's re-
quest OF working from @ to We will
have to 60 to tho City Council to draft
an ordinance requesting them to open
our markets at o'clock q. IN. instead OF
5, rs 1t is now to accommodate. tho
journeymen, and il that becomes law
the market business will surely prove a
poor one.
Arbitrating committee heard both
sides. That committee saw that it was
impossible for tho two butcher commit
tees to come to any, conclusion, and
subsequently instructed tho journey
men ut their next meeting to get UP
some other feasible scale which was
more to the point, which was accepted
by the journeymen. We would ask the
public to imagine tho surprise OF the
boss butchers last Friday. when a COM
mittee OF tho journcymen butchers
went from butcher to butcher and
asked him 10 sign the scale, and imag.
inc surprise also when they asked the
Trades Assembly to boycott thirteen
butchers OF this city without first las
is the general rule) bringing the matter
up in all the local unions OF this city.
There are siXty-iive boss butchers
doing business in this city. OF that
number eight OF them have signed the
scale Zone OF the number was drunk
and not responsible at the time), leav-
ing tifty.scven butchers who did not
sign. Now the boycotted ones would
like to know from the local union OF the
journeymen butchers what is the mat
ter.
Further, in, summer, when the retail
butcher has to kin and dress his stock
Tor market SO that it is sweet aud pal
atable, and to prevent it from getting
tiy.blown, he must Kill it when the sun
is setting or after dark, consequently the
man he employs must be prepared TO do
the work accordingly. Say, iorinstancc,
q butcher goes to market at 5 o'clock;
in the market for one hour he and his
employe have considerable OF work to
do to make his stall look respectable;
after that the sales begin, in which the
boss takes the greatest burden OF the
work, which lasts until 0 o'clock q. III.
At 10 o'clock they drive home, and by
noon everything is done, until 4 or 5
o'clock in the evening, when probably
one beef, one calf'aud two lambs are to
be dressed for the next mornings mar
ket, which should be only one hour and
fifteen minutes work for fair journey
man.
Last Saturday awcels tho Trades AS.
scmbly arbitratins committee met a
committee OF the journeymen's union
and also committee OF the butchers do
ing business in our city, after this with
the forty-four remaining butchers doing
business in this city. Among the thir-
teen boycottcd there is one that has an
apprentice who is not eligible 10 Join
their union ior six months to come.
Then there are others who do not en-
ply neither union nor non-union labor,
but does his work with his own family.
Now, before this iourneymen's COM.
mittee keen up this boycott, let them
come out like honorable people and
state their reasons why they do things
by halves, and explain the facts of the
case.
II further explanations are wanted, I
will answer any communication in the
future. One OF TIE BoYcoTrED.