Mexico Missouri message., 1904-09-15
BUTCHERS STRIKE is
FORMALLY ENDED
President ponneIIy Declares Struggle
With Packers to BE Off,.


Chicago: The strike Of the butcher
worlmen, which has demorallzed the
meat-packing industry throughout the
country for the last two months, was
officially declared of Thursday night
by President Michael ]. Donnelly OF
the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and
Butcher Workmen of America.
Thursday morning President Don.
nelly telegraphed the members of the
National Executive Committee, ask.
ing their consent to an announcement
Of an end to the struggle, and Thurs
day night having received favorable
answers from all, he declared that the
strike of the members of his organiza-
ton would end at midnight.
The strike Of the members of the
affiliated unions at the stock yards,
who quit work in sympathy with the
butchers, was officially called of Fri
day morning at a meeting Of the Con
ference Board of the Allied Trades.
This was decided upon at a meet
ing Of the central body of the Allied
Trades held Thursday night.
The general body was at first in
favor of continuing the strike, but
Mr.. Donnelly, who was present. an.
nounced that the men were defeated,
and that in order to save his union
from being entirely disrupted. he
would order his men to return to work
in the morning, no matter what course
might be taken by other unions.
AS the other unions had no griev-
ance, but had gone on strike TO aid
the butchers, there was nothing left
for them but to follow the lead OF
Mr.. Donnelly, and they, too, decided to
call off the strike as far as they were
concerned
When the packers were notified that
1t had been decided to end the strike
they announced that they would give
places as far as possible to the skilled
men, but it was stated at the same
time that many men would be unable
10 secure their old places, as in many
cases the work was being performed
in a satisfactory manner by those
who had been secured since the COM
1t is expected that the majority of
the unskilled men will be unable to
secure their places again. 1t was
the question of a wage scale for this
class of men that brought about the
strike, the packers refusing to sign
an agreement with any class other
than skilled workmen.
During the strike approximately
SO, 900 persons have been involved in
the struggle, which is estimated to
have cost the men about $500O,0O0
in wages, as against an estimated loss
of $7,500,000 to the packers in loss
of business and in increased expenses.
The greatest number of men idle in
Chicago during the strike was 26,O0O
and the total in the country outside
of this city is estimated to be about
the same.
The original cause of the strike
was a demand by the Butchers Union
that the packers pay to the unskilled
workmen 1871 cents an hour. The
packers refused to sign an agreement.
but offered to arbitrate the question.
This was accepted, the strikers agree
ing to return to work pending the de-
cision o fthe arbitrator. The men,
however, were dissatisfied with the
manner in which they were being put
to work, and declared that they would
not return until all of the men were
given their old places in one days
time The packers declaring that this
was, physically impossible, the men
went on strike for the second time.
The men now return to work under
the conditions that existed before the
Gtritya