United labor bulletin., 1912-10-10
THERE is SOMETHING
WRONG SOMEWHERE
(By Chas. F. Hohmann. Editor
The Bakers Journal.)

| the conditions existing in the cities and
towns where the Bread Trust already
has gained a foothold, some very pecul-
lar things came to our notice indicating
that there is something radically wrong
somewhere as far as the support of our
union label is concerned. While our
own members are being continuously
| taught to purchase no other goods but
| those bearing the union label, while
many of our local unions even fine their
members if they are being caught using
or purchasing a non-union article, we
| find that among some of the other trades
that are receiving the staunchest support
from us, there prevails regretable dis
regard and lack of interest as far as our
own union label products are concerned.
More outspoken than anywhere else
we find this lack of support in the city
of Pittsburgh, Pa, which boasts of an
army of over $4,000 organized workers.
Estimating the number of the members
of the families of these workers at the
very lowest-let us say quarter of
million-and assuming that each mem
ber of a workers family consumes but
half a loaf of bread-about half of a
pound-every day, the daily use of union
labels in pittsburgh should figure up to
over one hundred thousand per day.
But what do we find? From the books
of our Pittsburgh local we cleaned the
discouraging fact that during the first
six months of the current year the local
barely used $4,000 labels all in all. That
would leave about 10000 labels for each
month and hardly 1000 labels per day
Are we not justified in maintaining that
there is something totally wrong right
here?
Pittsburgh is the hot-bed of the Bread
Trust Large bakeries are dominant
/ t,,,t f<~xxr J..
they control the bread market We are
told that there are about $50 small bak-
cries left and the danger of ruin hovers
! over them every day. But very few
| OF them are unioniZed in spite of the
fact that Pittsburgh has over $4,000 or
| ganized workers. Where do they buy
their bread? How are they living up to
their duties toward the organized bakery
workers? How do they reciprocate the
efforts of the bakery workers to support
the union labels of their trades?
| Let us see. We did not intend to Sc
lect or criticise any one of the organ
lied trades, but there are few stand
ing out so prominently in the lack OF
support of our label that we cannot
avoid pointing out some of them.
There are, for Instance, the districts
of Bloomfield and Lawrenceville, which
are thickly inhabited by workers. There
is not a single union bakery in either
one of these two districts, and this in
spite of the fact that over six hundred
organized brewery workmen are living
there. Could not the families of these
600 organized workers support few
union bakeries at least?
Upon inquiry, we were told that most
of the wives of the, Pittsburgh workers
bake their own bread at home. That
may be true to some extent. but we are
not very much inclined to believe that
they were over-anxious to do their own
baking at home during the awful hot
periods which prevail in Pittsburgh dur
ing the summer months. We should
think that especially during such times,
when everybody suffers immensely from
the oppressive and suffocating heat, the
women would gladly tighten their bur
den somewhat by staying away from
their hot stoves and buying their bread.
And so far as that goes, we are con-
vinced that they do.
But they are not buying or demanding
bread which bears the union label. If
they did Pittsburgh would be able to
show more encouraging figures; there
would be more labels used
The insistent consistent and perma-
nent demand of our union label on the
part of Pfttsburgh's 10000 organized
WORKERS anu tnelT IdIuiilcS Wouiu WI n
wonders in that city. 1t would lead to a
surprising increase in the number of
union bakeries; it would strengthen the
| ranks of our local unions there; 1t would
give employment to such men who are
| in accord with the principles of organ
| lied labor; union-earned dollars would
| then be spent for union-made products
But above ALL such a demand for
union label bread would be the means OF
- fh<
Trust The latter would no longer have
full sway in forcing to the wall the bak-
cry workers and crush out their lives.
The Bread Trust, which today controls
| in that city an output of scab bread OF
nearly one million loaves per day, and
| which seeks to double that amount by
| the contemplated merger with another
large concern, would be made to feel the
power of organized labor, il they would
spend their nickels for union-made
bread There is no other force that can
bring the Bread Trust to terms but that
of our own power, combined with the
power of all organized workers. That
| combined power exerted and utilized In
the right direction would easily bring
the Bread Trust TO terms. not alone In
Pittsburgh. but everywhere.
But as long as that power is practi
cally misused. as long as 1t is used to the
0etrlment OF our lehO"-"oihSio w
shall have cause 10 complain that there
is something wrong with the working
class and especially SO with the organ
lied workers.
1t is to the latter that we again ad
dress our urgent plea: Support US In
our struggle against the Bread Trust
against all non-union and unfair baking
establishments. We do not ask you to
sacrifice anything We do not ask you
to pay more for bread than you are pay
ing today. We are simply asking FOL
the one and only favor, that the workers
demand and consume union bread only
and keep on asking for 1t until they gel
1t.
Our request is reasonable and easily
to be complied with, and the bakery
workers are ready at all times to do as