The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-01-17
BIRTH OF A union
Brief History of a Model Labor
Organization.
"Rlc SIX" OF NEW YORK.

f~orace Greeley, the First President,
Had Decided Views on Wages-A
Conservative Body of Workers.
Beneficial Features.
A volume of considerable economic
Importance and value has just been is
sued by the New York state depart
ment of labor. Its title is New York
Typographical Union No. 6-Study Of
Modern Trade Union and Its Prede
cessors." The work is by George Alb
bolt Stevens, senior Statistician in the
bureau of labor statistics, who displays
a mastery of his theme from the open
ing to the closing chapter of produc-
ton that fills 66S pages Of textual mat
ter. 1t is history Of all the unions
of New York journeymen printers
since the Revolutionary epoch and In
cludes much Information bearing upon
the general labor movement. After
tracing the rise and fall Of various
printers organizations In the early
part of the nineteenth century the au-
thor tells how big Six" came into
being.
New York journeymen printers late
in 1S49 had many grievances that they
were confident could be adjusted
through united action. Cost of living
had increased. Wages were small and
not uniform.
In the meanwhile little company of
journeymen convened In the home Of
Charles Walter Colburn, a Tribune
compositor. to discuss the question of
forming union. A meeting was held
on Dec. %. 1S49, at Stonealls hotel in
Fulton street, when the report of a
plan of organization was submitted by
a committee that had been previously
appointed to consider the subject. An
adjournment was taken until Jan. II,
1850, at which time twenty weight jour-
neymen assembled at Stoneall's adopt
ed the first constitution of the New
York Printers union and decided that
the organization should date from Jan.
/, 1850. The next meeting was held
on Jan. 49, and the organization was
completed by the election of board
of officers for the yearly term, Horace
Greeley being chosen president.
Undue haste in seeking uniform
wage rates and attempting to correct
wrongs that for years had been insid-
iously creeping into the printing indus
try was not part of the program Of
the New York Printers union. On the
contrary, conservatism dominated its
councils. 1t waited until the first quar-
terly meeting on April 6, 1850, before
considering the many vital questions
that affected all journeymen in the
city. Then it pursued the safe and
sane method of first instituting a care
full inquiry into the state of the trade
in all Its departments, with q view to
reforming such abuses as had encroach-
ed upon the rights of both workers and
employers. Seven members who were
we'll qualified to do the work made the
investigation.
DESTROYS Of acquainting the whole
trade of these conditions, the union
called a mass meeting Of printers, both
union and nonunion, besides employ
ers, and submitted the findings of the
committee. 1t was a large affair.
President Greeley addressed the as
semblage. He maintained that good
wages were OF the first Importance to
all trades He was opposed to child
labor in printing Offices.
II believe" said Mr. Greeley, lit
would be for the advantage of estab
lished journals and the larger book
printers to advance the rate of wages
25 per cent. What is the difference to
the employers what the rate of wages
is II 1t be uniform? The extra money
which they would pay out at maximum
prices would return to them in the
form of diminished competition. The
interest Of prosperity is always on the
side of good prices"
AS a result of this meeting a price
scale was adopted. and eventually most
Of the employers acceded to it.
In large degree Typographical union
No. has promoted the comfort and
happiness Of its distressed members
and succored the dependents Of those
who have been removed by death.
In 1893 the union esta blished q per-
manent unemployment fund, which
was continued for fourteen years, in
which period it expended the magnif-
cent sum of $520.645 for that noble
purpose. Special out of work benefits
amounting to S9.3SO have been paid by
the union on different occasions since
the abolition Of the permanent fund in
1907, in which year the pension sys-
TEN was begun, bringing the whole
sum disbursed in this kind OF relief
work up to SCOOPS.
Other benefits for its members or
their dependents include farm prof
ect. pensions for superannuated mem
bers. hospital beds. Union Printers
home and sick and mortuary claims
the aggregate expenditures for which
have amounted to $5O6,O6S.S1 in the
past fifteen years
On the economic side to defend its