The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-07-14
BY A. A. MYRUP,

BY A. A. MYRUP,
International treasurer Bakery and Con-
fectionery Workers International Union
of America, in American Federationist.
Time does not permit me to give an
extensive statement as to the now his
toric undertaking of our International
union that has been so successfully ter
minated, at least so far as it affects
one of the most progressive If not the
richest baking corporations in the coun-
try.
However, | may say that in the lat
bakery workers that their industry,
which up to then had been fairly free
from extensive labor saving devices
such as generally make possible great
business centralizations, was confront
ed with an evolution along these
| lines that almost bore the semblance
of complete revolutionizing of the in
dustry. Foremost among such bust
ness enterprises appeared the Ward
Baking company.
During the months Of January, Feb
ruary and March, 1911, the Ward Bak-
ing company was building large new
| bakery plants in the Bronx and Brook
Ign, N. Y, Of the most modern and
sanitary type. carrying with it the
greatest productive capacity far be-
You'd comparison with any similar
plants in any other part Of the country.
Our International union then made a
strenuous effort to, if in any way pos
sible, reach a trade union agreement
with said Ward company. which re-
grettably failed.
| Thereafter an extensive publicity
campaign was inaugurated and main
| tanned up to the present time. The
membership of the International union
readily made the financial sacrifices
necessary to conduct this campaign, to
| the end of interesting the general
bread consuming public, inclusive Of
the membership of the trade union
movement Of the entire country, to
morally assist the bakery workers by
supporting their union label and other
wise, so that the proper and necessary
| influence would be brought to bear
upon the men financially interested In
the new baking industry that would
bring about the realization that the
workers in that industry are human
and must receive trade union recogni.
tion in order to safeguard and assure
| the permanent interest of the industry
| itself.
The constructive persistency on our
own part and the magnificent support
| given us by the trade union move
ment and all other liberty loving men
and women eventually brought about
a condition that resulted in a confer
ence being held during the first week
of April between representatives of
our International union and the Ward
Baking company, which terminated in
an agreement being reached and signed
on April 5.
| The document constitutes a splendid
| trade union agreement and carries
with it conditions of which any part
Of our jurisdiction may well be proud
1t provides a complete union shop as
far as the bakery workers are concern
ed, covers nine factories located in the
cities of Boston, Providence, Bronx
and Brooklyn, N. Y; Baltimore, Pitts
burgh and Cleveland, in all of which
| oitioa thu of
exist, so far as the bakery workers are
concerned.
In those cities it will introduce the
eight hour day as compared with the
ten, eleven and twelve hour day gen
orally still prevailing there. 1t pro-
vides time and one-half overtime, q
wage scale that is fair, which may be
open for readjustment yearly during
the three years life of the agreement
1t provides for a condition that will
eventually place our union label on
nearly all the products of the Ward
Baking company.
Conferences and negotiations that re
! suited in the agreement being reached
| were conducted in the most cordial anC
friendly spirit, far beyond expectations
or possible reference to anything SINH
lar during the career of the partici
pants. A mutual desire seemed to pre-
vail to achieve and establish a perma
nent understanding that would result
in nothing but benefit to all concerned
The document may well be referred tt
as indicating the spirit Of the times
and apparently making possible new
era in the history of the baking in
dustry, in large measure due to the
foresight Of one of the largest and
most progressive baking concerns Of
the country. We are In hopes thai
the same spirit may be seen in a simi
lar manner by all other nonunion con
Germs.