New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-08-23
MAY BE MEAT FAMINE.
DRTVERS GO ON STRIKE.
Big Packing Houses Unprepared TOR
Sudden Move of Union.

New York is threatened Will d AlS"N AN--O
as a result of the strike declared yesterday
afternoon by the five hundred members Oh the
locals of the United Transfers of America VINO
are EMPLOYED by the big packing house branches
in this city Eighteen different firms, lnciuu-
ing all the slaughter houses in New YORK. loo'
their union teamsters within half an houf'
Wagons loaded with perishaple meats We're iei'
e+ord;p, in the streets and the blow fell so
suddenly that even the most astute CdCliOi''
in labor wars were for the time astoundeo. AZ
. late hour last night the eighteen meat firms
under the ban were straining every sihe" ~
nrovide for a meat delivery service by striAe
,ool,ers +odav The police reserves from nan
a dozen precincts were patrolling the siaush'eI
house and packing districts along t1rsl 3>
in the upper 40s last night ,..u
That the present strike will prove 10 oe iu''
of excitement seemed to be the oplhoii u =.
police The strikers at their headquai '
10th street, near First avenue, were III aN e.
mood and refused to give Information ~ ""
body 'ETheIl with the papers, shou'ou o'0
them. wen fight this out in our way
NV cav. A mysterious person referred TO
&C doe" Hickey was supposed to be the leaUe'
If the strikers. but he could not be iouiIu -,
the naigbboring saloons and the police dlo no.
know where he was. Inspector Slills -
Walsh was in charge Of the ninety Poi a
.+ bo u,ould venture no opinion. Irouple ""S
expected though. when the wagons s''l''
early to-day to supply the market traue'
The firms whose men went out ana ""o w.
dav will be- Obliged to depend on the service OF
strike breakers or non-unlon uriEei' o."
foIlov,,np. The United Dressed Beef Company
the New York Veal and Mutton Company o"ii'
& Co. New York Butchers Dressed Meat I'm
,onv A 7 Harrington & Co.. Schwarzschild q
s,I1herger Company, David Shannon & SONS
| Strauss 4. Adler Joseph Stern & Sons. ii. Aol-
man & Son. 1. Stiefel & Co, George Joseph
John Shay Thomas Halligan, J. M. q l. scar
Ion. Moses Frank, the Metropolitan Beer supply
r,omnanv and the Atlantic Hotel Supply COM
panv The two last named do most OF '"e
meat business for large hotels and restaurants
while the United Dressed Beef Company n""U'e'
part of the Armour meats
DON'T WANT ARBITRATION
The strike came as the explosive climax to
conference that lasted for five days. ana at
which fourteen leaders of the union transfers
stood out for q week OF sixty-hve hours WIN
extra pay for overtime. The teamsters have
been working under an agreement that expired
on August IA In the new agreement that was
in process OF formation the employers wished
inserted clause providing for arbitration The
committee of union men opposed this. After the
delegations of employers and employees had been
closeted together for five hours yesterday in the
Hotel Belmont the union men suddenly threw
over further discussion. Rising in a BODY. they
declared that the matter OF arbitration could
not be considered any longer. The representa-
tives OF the packing houses did not recede from
their stand, and the union committee walked
out OF the parlor. Within half an hour every
meat delivery wagon in the city had been aban-
doned where It stood when messengers OF the
strikers had Informed the drivers OF the situa-
ton.
While the strike seemed TO be confined to
those firms hiring their own drivers and sit
uated mostly on the upper East Side Of Man
haitian there was danger Of a sympathetic strike
of the drivers who are working for trucking
companies that have contracts TO do the meat
carting for firms on the extreme west SIDE
along Eleventh avenue There the firms that
are not affected. unless there should be a SYM
pathetic strike. are Nelson Morris q Co, Ar
mour & Co, ConrOn Brothers, Wheeler * co.
and one OF the branches of Swift & CO. The
packing town OF Harlem and The Bronx was
not included in the strike. since the meathouses
there also sublet their carting by contract to
trucking companies. Nevertheless. IN expecta-
ton of trouble these places special details OF
policemen were on duty in the uptown neigh
borhood.
THOSE AT BELMONT MEETING.
Al the conference In the Hotel Belmont the
ma ckers were represented by the following COM
Inittee: w H Noyes of Swift & Co. chairman;
L. Kirschheimer. Of the SChwarzschild & Sulz-
berger Co; Arthur Stern. of Joseph Stern &
Sons; w. l. McAuley of the United Dressed
Beef Company; Moses Saunders. OF the New
York Veal and Mutton Company; Leo Joseph,
of the New York Butchers Dressed Beef Com
many. and James Shannon, OF Joseph Shannon
& Sons.
After the meeting had broken up by the sud
den action Of the union delegates man closely
connected with the packing interests said that
the empiovers were not surprised at the out
come He admitted. however, that although
some preparation had been made to employ non
union drivers the move Of the union men was
little quicker than had been expected. II seemed
that messengers had been waiting near Third
avenue and 42d street, and that they were
ready TO start off at once and call the men from
the wagons The strikers had chosen the busiest
day of the week for this stroke. Thursday is
the day that the supply Of meat for the Satur-
day night and Sunday trade is provided
G. w. Morgan Superintendent of Elections.
acted as counsel for the employers. and issued
the following statement last night:
An executive board of seven members. represent
ing all the slaughterers in New York City, have
been in conference for hve days win committee
of fourteen members representing the Transfers
we're willing to renew the agreement with the
Transfers Union which expired on August Il. IN
der this agreement these Transfers have been earn
ing from ST. to $50 a week Not only were their
employers willing TO renew the old agreement but
offered numerous concessions in addition to the
terms of the old agreement On all points on which
TO reach an agreement. the representatives of the
above employers offered TO submit such matters
TO DISTINGUISHED board of arbitration, and to agree
to abide by their decision to what was just and
reasonable This offer by the employers was i'm
thereafter the transfers, without any further