The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-01-12

Fifteen hundred employees of the Con-
tinential Tobacco Companys large
stripping and rehandling tobacco fac
tory at Twenty fourth and Main streets
Louisville, Ky, went out on a strike
last Friday at noon.
The manner in which the employees
quit, it is almost a miracle that a great
many people We're not injured or killed.
The strike was inaugurated at the noon
hour in way that caused the greatest
confusion to prevail. While: the en-
ployes were eating dinner the cry of
| Fire. was raised throughout the
building. This was the signal agreed
on to inaugural, the strike and stimuli
! taneously men, women and children
| made a quick rush for the doors and
fire escapes. AS almost everyone in
| factory was in the secret, few were
frightened, except the foremen.
AS soon as the managers learned the
| true state of offairs, the telephone was
| used to secure the services of a number
Of policemen. But they might as we'll
not have come as there was no disord-
er, and the had no effect in keeping
| the employees at work.
The management was at it's wits
| end. Despite all efforts to controvert
il the strike fever prevailed, for it had
gone home to every heart. Like the
bird that escaped from it's cage after
long confinement, SO it was with these
poor victims Of the trust, who longed
| for somebody or something to release
! them from the environment.
OF the $500 employees, 200 are women.
! Many are children who ought to be at
school,, and who look wan and ema-
| ciated from long hours of excessive
| and unrequited toll. Many Of the
young girls are still pretty, but in a
few more years Of confinement amid
contact with the. unhealthy, nicotine
laden air their beauty will fade away.
The majority of the employees are neg
| roes, both male and female, who seem
| to fare better under the unhealthful
! conditions than their white factory
| mates.
| A few hours previous to the stampede
| the demands Of the employees were sent
/ in a note to the management by boy,
| but as there was no name signed to it,
| the managers paid no attention to ii.
! Following are the demands:
Tristan increase Of wages. It is
claimed that the management pays 81
per 100 pounds for stripping all kinds
| Of leaf. When a quantity Of bad leaf
is handled the employees claim that it
| reduces their wages almost one-half
An increase to $2.25 per 100 pounds is
asked. In connection with the strip
ping the employees claim that the new
management has inaugurated a system
Of picking known as "sand papering"-
that is, requiring the stripper to pick
the stems cleaner than is compatible
with a fair days work. They also
charge that each shipper is now made
to sweep clean the ncighbCrhOod of his
work.
Observation-Disclosures of the "docking
board This is the principal grievance
of the employees and one which they
say was not enforced under the Deer
hOef2r management. BY the new terms
| of docking employees the finding of five
butt STEMS in a shippers pickings
| results in loss Of pay for ten pounds
| of tobacco, or twenty cents. AS this
might result four or five times a day
the system might result in a worker
losing his entire days wages.
Third-Morc time for lunch. Under
| the present system the employees are
given half an hour in which to eat
| and are not allowed to leave the build
ing. They demand an hour for lunch
! with the privilege Of going out and get
| ting little fresh air
| The 300 women working at the fac
tory also claim grievance. They say
that the present managers have threat
ered the discharge of the forewoman
and will put them to work under the
| supervision of man. What this
means to women who may want to be
excused by reason of illness can be un-
derstCod.
! Arrangements were made for an open
| air meeting on Saturday morning at
the old National Park grounds, which
| are about a stones throw from the
factory. The men, women and children
began to assemble as early as $50
o'clock, and before 10 o'clock fully 1 900
striking employees were on the grounds.
| Many women and children were in the
crowd. They presented a truly pitiful
scene. Wearing thin calico dresses,
( with threadbare shaws around their
4 shoulders. they stood around in groups
shivering in the bitter cold. The men
and boys built bonfires, and it was not
long before everyone present was in :,
cheerful mood.
President Henry Fisher of the Inter-
national Tobacco Workers Union ar
rived unexpectedly at 10 o'clock, and
mounting barrel nearby. he address
ed the crowd. He advised them to be