The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-08-25
PRINTERS union AND
BUTTER|CK PATTERNS
BIG Pattern Trust Still Refuse to
Grant Eight-hour Day to
Its Employees.
Story of the Prolonged Strike, and
Bitter Attitude of q Most
Greedy Firm.

New York, Aug. 23.-Of all the print
ing establishments in New York City,
none could better afford to pay fair
wages and grant reasonable hours to
its employees than could the Buttertck
Publishing Company.
This corporation Is capitalized at
twelve million dollars, prior to last
December it practically had a monopoly
Of the dress pattern business. The
"Butterick Trio" three magazines for
women, possess large circulations, and
advertising space in their columns
commanded rates which brought enor-
nous revenues to the Butter1ck Com
pany.
Like many other giants In history
this Corporation developed hideous
appetite for slavery. 1t was not con-
tent with prosperity, and when the
printers employed for many years In
the composing room announced their
intention Of requesting a shorter
workday this giant-its paunch hlled
to the bursting -point-decided to make
war on the Printers Union and In
directly on the wives and children OF
men who had grown old and gray in
its service.
These compositors had been receiv-
ing the enormous wages Of $3.50 per
day for nine hours work. with an In
Permission at noon time at their own
expense. Compared with other skilled
trades, their wages were r1dlculOusly
low and their hours too long. That
their request was reasonable one is
proven by the fact that by far the
greater portion Of employers IN this
CITY have conceded the eight-hour day.
For four years prior to January l,
1906. Typographical Union No. had
an agreement with the Typothetae OF
te CITY of New York by which all
disnutes between employer and en-
ployee were adjusted by conference
committees or by arbitration. Whlle
the Butterick Company was not rep
resented in the Typothetae, 1t mad
accepted and complied with the terms
of the agreements between the en-
ployers' organization and the Union.
Late in November, 1905, more than
3 month before the agreement explred'
the Butterick Company engaged nom
,nton men to work in Its composing
room thus notifying members OF 'ehe
Union that they were to be dlsplaceo
bv "Scabs." Faithful service counted
for naught; the wives and children
Of old employees were not considered.
The Butterick Company wanted slaves
who would work any number of hours
at all sorts Of wages. While 1t could
well afford to be generous, it preferred
to be cruel and brutal. It thirsted for
the happiness in tn homes of those
ho1 fn
great prosperity.
But when these old employees,
through their union, made public the
perfidy of the Butterick Company,
when Its contemplate action was
brought to the attention of union men
from Maine to California. this giant
pattern trust went whining to the
courts for an injunction to restrain
the members of No. from advising
or requesting their friends to cease
purchasing it's publications and pat
terms. The giant discovered that the
gray haired men who had been dis
placed by "scabs" had friends and
sympathisers in every town and village
These friends had other friends, and
the Butterick Company soon discov-
cred that it had stepped on hornet'a
nest.
The sting of the Boycott was painful
-distressingly so. But instead of
rectifying the injustice it had done,
this great corporation sought to re-
tain the patronage Of those whose
sympathies are with organized wage
earners as against organized greed.
A willing Judge was found to grant
a temporary injunction. The officers
and members Of the Union for a time
were restrained. But even an injunc-
tion did not remove the boycott sting
in this case. Another judge a few
weeks later tore the original Injunction
to tatters. He decided that the men,
bers of No. 6 had legal right to
appeal to, advise and request their
friends to cease patronizing the But
terick concern.
The patrons Of the Butterick Com
pany are wage earners. Few persons
OF wealth buy paper dress patterns
or publications devoted to furtherine
their sale. When this support is with
draWn-as 1t should be-the Butterick
Company will perhaps realize how it
feels to be locked out" Since the
OASSoAA Avn COMPANY pIclcIS the services
Of "scabs' In It's printing office, let it
look to "scabs' for buyers OF its
magazines and patterns: certainly no
member Of any Labor Union or his
friends should buy them or patronize
any merchant who offers them for sale.
Remember the gray-haired men who
were displaced by imported scahs,
Remember the cowardly blows struck
at their homes and the happiness of
their wives and children! Rememhor
the contemplate cowardice Of the Rut-
terick Company in seeking to tie the
hands Of those men and their friends
in order to prevent them from reouest-
ing the moral support Of a free peon1e
And don't forget that the magazines
advertised as "The Butterick Trio aro
1.-THE Delineator," "The Designer" and
the New Idea Womans MAGAZINE "
The dress patterns are the Butterick.
New Idea, Standard, Banner, La Belle.
Martha Dean, Home Dressmaker,
Metropolitan Fashions and Little
Folks.
l.. Another firm who could well afford