The San Francisco call., 1904-03-05
MEAT MARKETS
ARE ALL OPEN
Locked Out Men Are Being
Supplanted' by Non-UniOn
Help When 1t Is at Hand
BOSSES ASSIST BECKER
Employers Reiterate That
They Will Not Deal With
Butchers Union as Such
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,
Ills Broadway. March f.

oakland OInce san fTdnclSCO NdH'
111S Broadway, March 4.
Every meat market in this city was
open and doing business to-day. de-
spite the lockout of the Butchers
Union. In the nom union shops, which
number all but four markets, the en-
ployers were hard at work with such
help as they have been able to pick up
since yesterday morning. The quartet
of union shops were also busy and the
proprietors who have declined to join
the bosses association say they can
hold out and supply their customers.
The employers have framed plans
for a campaign of indefinite length. and
one Of their first moves was to send
delegations of bosses to work at Fred
Becker's big markets on Washington
street and on Thirteenth street, which
has apparently been selected as the
storm center of the contest. Here were
a dozen employers working behind the
blocks alongside of non-union men who
had been given the places of the
locked-out union butchers. This plan
of assisting Becker will be continued,
each member of the Employers Asso-
citation taking his turn. The same sys-
tenn will be followed in all other shops
where considerable assistance may be
required pending settlement of the
difficulty.
In the smaller shops, where the en-
ployers do much of the cutting. the
pressure from the lockout is not SO
severely felt. Many of them have been
compelled to stop delivering meat. but
mill hr 70,
go TO the shops for a time and carry
home their orders themselves.
On neither side was there a new
phase of the struggle. Possibilities are
discussed as to the injection of outside
unions in the affair. About the labor
headquarters rumor was current that
the restaurants and hotels might be
affected by a sympathetic strike of
cooks and walters. AT this time none
of the union representatives are will
ing to commit themselves on this Sub
ject.
From the Butchers Union to-day
was given out a statement by J. r.
McGovern, the business agent, that the
union was prepared to make a long
fight and would be given all of the as
sistance it required. both financially
and morally. McGovern added:
This is a fight to save the integrity Of the
union The employers have said they would
not recognize the union and they have locked
out their men because they have stood by the
union We are not really able to say what
form our efforts to win viii take. 1 feel sat
ished win.
On the other hand, Fred Becker said:
The employers have organized with a deter
mination TO settle for good whether we shall
be permitted to carry on our own businesses
agreement with the union. That is final The
men be members of all the unions they
want to. but when they do business with US
1t must be as individuals This talk about
wages and hours is nonsense. L am paving
the union rates and so is nearly every other
butcher.
Both the wholesalers and retailers
declare that there will be no meat fam
inc. Irving C.. Lewis of Grayson- Owen
Company said that the public would
be supplied even if the retailers were
compelled to close their shops. The
tenor of comment on the subject from
the employers side was to Indicate
that the possible contingencies of the
struggle had been carefully studied and
would be met
The union shops claim to have suffi-
cient. supplies to run them through un-
til Monday. The proprietors assert
their ability to get meat no matter
what action may be taken by the
wholesalers. Robert Vincent. one of
the union shopkeepers, insisted that he
could keep his stock up from several
sources if the ordinary supply should
fail.
Among the locked out butchers is
former Mayor John L. Davie. Davie
Joined the union before he went back
to the meat block, his cid trade, and
was among the employees at Becker's
that went out.
The San Francisco Butchers Board
of Trade, through it's secretary. John
NJ Gilbert, declares that the organiza-
tion is not in any way interested in the
Oakland trouble