The San Francisco call., 1903-12-10
Restaurant Keepers Association
and the Cooks and Walters
Unions Far From Agreement
OyERTURES ARE AWAITED
Some Eating-Houses Reopen
and Are Suspended by Organ
ization to Which They Belong
60

Eight restaurants that had closed
under orders from the Restaurant
Keepers Association opened their
doors for business yesterday and are
on the suspended list Most of these
houses are known as bakery restau-
rants They are conducted by Ruedi-
ger, Loesch & Co., Ill Larl1in street;
Arften, Eicher & Co., 22S Kearny
street; Vienna Cafe, 222 Sutter street;
Detjen & Menge. 35 Market street; p.
Westerfeld & Co.. S65 and 1895 Market
street; Peterson & Bertelsen, 247 Grant
avenue, and Polli & Pagan, 317 Powell
street.
All the other eating houses, number
ing about thirty-five in all, remain
closed. The Restaurant Keepers As
sociation is determined to win and in
tends to stand firm. On the other hand
the Cooks and Walters unions be-
lieve they will be victorious. officers
of both unions say that the men and
women who have lost their places by
reason Of the closing of certain res
taurants have secured employment
elsewhere.
Peter Peterson, a restaurant keeper
at 621 Kearny street, has posted
sign on his window informing the pub
lie that he will reopen for business to-
day. Shortly afterward the sign was
read by a walking delegate of the
Walters Union and the latter entered
and tried to get Peterson to sign the
agreement. Peterson refused and the
walking delegate ordered a union man
to walk out of the place. Peterson
gave up the plan and tore down his
sign. He will remain closed.
Both sides are holding meetings
daily. Each is waiting for the other to
make overtures and neither will start
the ball rolling toward a settlement
NJ. Johnson, chairman of the executive
committee of the Restaurant Keepers
Association, said last evening that it
was up to the unions to move. He
said the association had closed many
restaurants and would not settle until
certain clauses in the new agreement
were either stricken out or amended.
He reiterates that the unions have no
right to ignore the association or try to
compel individual members to sign the
agreement. Mr.. Johnson is sanguine
of victory and actually claims one.
There is a rumor that both sides will
come together tomorrow for confer
ence.
Gooch's oysterhou on Ellis street,
near Powell, will close at o'clock this
morning in sympathy with the asso-
citation.
The local joint executive board of
the unions involved in the difficulty is
sued the following statement last
night:
There has appeared in the daily
press as coming from Mr.. Johnson,
chairman Of the Restaurant Keepers
Association. a statement to the effect
that they had notified the. Cooks and
Walters Union of a desire to meet with
their representatives.
IF any communications to that effect
have been sent to either the Cooks
Union, the Walters Union or to the
undersigned executive board. such
communications have not reached the
above mentioned bodies.
ITO the contrary when the Restaur-
ant Keepers Association sent an ulti-
matum to the unions that unless the
employees of the Central Restaurant, OF
Ellis street, were ordered back by 10
a. m. Saturday they would close their
places of business the unions appointed
a committee to go before the Restaur-
ant Keepers Association, which was
to assemble that same afternoon.
Our request for conference with
the Restaurant Keepers Association
was refused by Mr.. Johnson, chairman
of the executive committee.
The unions are and always have
been ready and willing to meet the en-
p1oyers.