Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1904-09-15
STRIKE is AT AN END.
LABOR TROUBLES AT PACKING
CENTERS SETTLED.
Butcher Workmen Accept Terms Pro-
posed by J.Ogden Armour-Old Wages
to Prevail - Packers Agree to Take
Former Employees Back.

The great stOckyards strike in Chi
cago reached an end at midnight
Thursday. On terms similar to those
proposed the previous week by j. Og-
den Armour, the Amalgamated Meat
Cutters and Butcher WOrkmens
Union took the initiative Thursday
evening and declared the strike at an
end, so far as their organization was
concerned.
Acknowledging the defeat of his or
ganization and insisting that the offers
of Intermediates should be received as
a solution of the industrial difficulties,
President Donnelly assumed an atti-
tude of leadership that had been taken
from him by the allied trades confer
ence board, and in an imprisoned ad-
dress to representatives of the various
packing trades forced the end Of the
strike
After a day of meetings, conferences
and voting, the struggle that began
July II reached a finale when complete
authority to act at his own discretion
was placed in the hands of President
Donnelly.
Within an hour the packers had been
appraised of the situation, and had an
swered that the old men would be re-
ceived back at any time under the
terms which were rejected by the ref
erendum. More satisfactory conditions
for both employers and employees are
embodied in the agreement.
Terms Accepted by Strikers.
The terms offered by the packers
and accepted by the leaders Of the
butchers are as follows:
The packers agree to give work to as
many of the strikers as are needed, Civ
ing preference in future to the old men
in hiring employees.
Present non-union employees to be kept
so far as they wish to remain.
Wages of skilled men to be the same
as before the strike.
The packers agree to treat the labor
ers fairly and declare that in the future
the plants will be run more evenly the
six days of the week
The Union Stock Yards and Transit
Company to reinstate all striking live
stock handlers as rapidly as possible.
The butcher workmen and members
Of the allied trades began Friday to
apply for their positions. There will
be no wholesale discharge of the col
ored and foreign laborers who have
acted as strike breakers.
Hope in the Future.
The return of the strikers to the
packing houses after almost nine weeks
of voluntary idleness will not imme-
diately bring to an end the dispute
which started the strike, the matter
of reduction of the pay of the I'M
skilled men, but better conditions of
employment are augured. More work,
less politics and amicable adjustment
of differences will probably follow the
ratification Of the peace pact. Cur
tailment of the working hours has
been one general cause of discomfort
among the packing house employees.
In the past the butcher workers and
their immediate associates have not
been given full time because the ad-
justment Of unskilled laborers to the
work did not permit the rapid DISPOSE
ton Of the carcasses and by-products.
Often the butchers were given only
four full days of work during the
week. In solving the problem of break
ing in strike breakers the packers
reached a solution of the difficulty, and
now declare that they can give the
skilled men a full week of work and
handle their output.
History of the Strike.
The strike. the largest in Chicago
for ten years, was called July -, after
the packers had announced a reduc-
ton in wages of the unskilled men
from 1712 cents an hour to 1872 cents
The men made a demand for a raise
to 1873 cents An agreement to sub