The Cairo bulletin., 1904-04-29
BUTCHER GIRLS
HANDLE KNIFE
Five Hundred Women in New
York Wearing Aprons.
WERE EASILY TRAINED
TO HANDLE THE CLEANER AND
KNIFE WITH DENTERlTY---
THE tNNoVATloN IA
VORA6LY RECEIVED.

New York, Aprll 2S Good sirloin
steak, about two pounds? Yes,
ma'am.'
The butcher girl turned to huge
piece of beef ON the block in front oi
her welded the keen knife with a
strong, firm stroke and separated 4
fine looking sirloin from the joint
Sh trimmed off the fat and threw the
steak on the scales.
Two pounds and quarter" she
said. "Fort5two cents, please Pay
al the cashiers desk
There We're IL more butcher girls
iast Iibe her in a mark IN West One
Hundred and Twentyfilth street Al
of them wore black gowns vita white
aprons suspended from the shoulders
and tied in huge bow at the back,
They were very much like the cos
tunes worn by waiter girls in re5taa
rants. The market was full of Gus,
toners and the butcher girls worked
swiftly and silently. There was no
shouting of Cash" ana no running T.
and fro, as girls in department
stores sometimes do. Every butcher
Girl was expected to stick TO her own
particular block
The man who employs them has
spent two years training them to 70
r. lie began with two girls, and
found them such success that he in
creased the number of ~. and per
suaded butchers downtown on Nhe
East and West sides, and in Brooklyn
to follow his example incidentally
he has stirred up a hot fight with IN,
Amalgamated Meat Cutters ant
Butcher Workmen
There are now about 500 butcher
girls steadily employed in New lofi
ana BROOKLYN fheg receive from s.
"a $40 a week, al compared with ST.
and SIS week paid to young mel
for the same work,
w. c, Wellman, business az mt o
the Amalgamated Mcatcutters, VIII,
has an Office in First avenue. neai
FortysiSth street says the butcher
girls are lowering the wage scale Ii
tn trade. He has begun steps L
Gust them The meatcutters union 4
affiliated with the American Fedora
ton of Labor, and can. Mr. Wellman
says, make matters warm for the
butcher girls Francis X. Butler
counsel for the meatcutters' union
says that The organization concerns
itself mainly with the affairs Of mer
in slaughter houses and that tht
butcher girl question had not yet beer
put up 70 him as a legal proposition
yet
None Of the girls in the Harlem
Shop on in shops on the east sid,
would talk about the Lady Moatcut
tors and Salesladia8' Protective ass9
citation that they are getting MP The,
declare that Mrs r. julius. who ID
their organizer and corresponding
secretary, had instructed them not t.
tank until the organization was com
plctc. They said that Mrs julius Ia.
Ho office and they didt not know
where she lived. But she yisiie.
around at the various stores wher,
butcher girls are employe1. and re-
ported that the now saleslaiies minr
vas getting along swimmnely Mr.
Wellman said he knew that. allhougl
nc did not know Mrs. Julius. But tn,
butcher girls were getting SIS formil
able be was going To max IL his bus
mess to become acquainted with hen
The butcher girls are org1cizin.
On the quiet, said Mr. Wellman
They send ont girls to invite othet
girls to their ne tings. There IS n,
dispnting To fact that butcher girl
are becoming popular in New York
! Al s3me Of our local unions we hav,
received complaints from men tina
their places were filled by WON %
They alleged that Whenever "a ma,
was comp He'd to work overtime. or IL
/ any other way % conflict with miol
rules be was discharged and his plgc
iille4 by "A woman We have inyesti
gated five stores in which women ar,
employed and end that the com
plants # the men are Just The
butch r girls are larec and strong
They can lit ana cut meats as we
as man Employers have eonfesze.
90 US that women meatcutters draw
cusiom and bulld up trade"