The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-10-04
UNION SENDS OUT NOTICE OF ACTION Proprietors Notified of Demand
 for 8-Hour Day MAY REFUSE DEMAND Master Printers Claim That Reduction of number of Hours Daily Causes
 Loss of 17 Per
 Gent.

Proprietors of printing houses in Bir- mingham will be presented with new agreement December 1. Notice to this effect was sent out yesterday by Typo graphical Union No. 104. The employers are expected to sign it in time TOT the new scale. which has to do only with the hours per day, to go into effect January 1, 1906
 While I am familiar with what the new scale will demand" said a publish CT yesterday, "I am not In position 10 say what my answer will be. l am or the opinion that Birmingham employers will be governed largely by what master printers do in other southern cities.
 The notices were sent out yesterday as result of the action of the Typo graphical Union Sunday when It unani- mously indorsed the action of the na- tional organization. which made de- mand at the last convention for an eight hour day. It affects ''ad' men on news papers and all printers In job printing establishments.
 May Oppose New Contract.
 From what could be learned yesterday the job printers. or masters of Birming- ham. will be slow to sign the new scale. They hold that the printer will get no increase in salary, under the proposed agreement and that the publishers will suffer loss of not less than IT per cent By this 1t Is meant that loss of one hour per day means curtailment or work, or loss of over 10 per cent In time, to say nothing of Idle machinery for six teen hours every day. They figure other losses, such as running expenses. at al- most the same figure making total, they say, of about IT per cent. The 'ad men on newspapers have an SN-hour day at present, so that the demand makes no material difference. Beginning January 13 the "ad." men in all newspaper offices will have an s-hour day.
 ''We will be forced to decrease our out put with present facilities" said one publisher, "and therefore cut off our gross receipts, while the employees will get nothing but an extra hour each day. While our plant Is idle the men we em- ploy will also be idle under the proposed scale It Is an employees duty, l think. to help the employer build up his busi- ness Is the eight-hour demand along this line? Our answer will be forth coming later on.''
 | The following is the notice sent out I by the union:
 Notice Sent Out.
 Birmingham, Ala, October g. 1905. ITO the Employing Printers In the Juris-
 diction of Typographical Union No. 1o4: 1 We desire to call your attention to the condition soon to be met by the members of the Birmingham Typographical union and the Birmingham employing printers. | You thoroughly understand the position of the International Typographical union on the eight-hour question, made more l than year ago.
 | '"The eight-hour question is not a new one, having been in force in all govern ment departments for more than a quar- 1 ter of century. The trades unions have all made great strides in the reduction | of hours, and now with almost the entire l building trades organizations eight hours is the universal work day. It Is not a l theory and no longer an experiment, but pronounced success and the logical work day. A majority of the trades in | the state of Alabama, according to the statistics of the State Federation of La bor, have been working but eight hours 1 for two years.
 May Not Be Credit. "It may not be to the credit of the | Typographical union, being one of the oldest and foremost labor organizations | In the entire world. that we have deferred action on this important question so long. | But 1t Is to our credit and to the credit of the shorter work day and to the fair ness of our employers that since active agitation on this line began. something l like two years ago, that today at least half of our membership are working eight l hours.
 l AS intelligent business men and in view of the fact that this reduction will necessitate some change, though we be- leve nothing detrimental, you have doubtless given 1t consideration, and your l position Is probably decided by this time
 This change will in all probability be construed as a change in the scale of prices now in effect. Therefore, accord ing to the terms of our present agree ment, you will accept this as notice that our present scale, with only revision of hours, will be presented to you on tne 4th day of December, 1905 Yours respect | fully,
 "BIRMIN c HAM TYPOGRAPHICAL
 UNION.