The Connecticut labor press., 1919-10-11
EAT CUTTERS THROUGHOUT EAST
 TAKE STRIKE VOTE
Ballotted Three Days This Week in Connecticut Cities
 Having Locals.
PACKERS WOULDN'T TALK
Vice President Menhart at New Haven Meeting Monday-Re-
 suit Known Tomorrow.

In all cities of the Eastern district of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America where there are local unions there was vote taken by the members this week on whether the men wished to strike The balloting began on Wednesday and was finished yesterday afternoon. The result of the vote will not be known until Sunday morning, when special meetings of the Locals will be held so the vote can be announced. The New Haven Local will meet in Trades Coun- Gil Hall tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock The official ballot says:
 At the convention of the Locals of the eastern coast held in New York City on September 18th and 29th, 1919, committee of three men were elected, who, ln conJ junction with Vice-Presi- dent Menhart will see the employers to try to reach an agreement. If an agree ment is not reached, are you for a striker"
 This ballot is printed in seven 1angu- ages, English, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Hebrew and Slav. Carl Ram stedt, business agent of the New Haven Local, is the voting registrar of that local. He was seen by a reporter for The Connecticut Labor Press immedi- ately after he had set up a voting booth in Trades Council Hall. He had a table and chair in the middle of the floor and big supply of ballots. Each one con- talnS the announcement of the strike vote as printed above and it is in the seven languages used by members of the union. The members will vote Yes or No on the proposition and when the polls closed last night it was estimated that about 400 votes had been cast. In order to strike, 75 per cent. of the mem berSh1p will have to vote yes. An official said he believed the men would vote yes.
 This vote on the question of a strike was brought about by the refusal of the packers to confer with representatives of the union. Robert Muenzner of New Haven was one of the committee of three selected by the New York con- vention to go to Boston and confer with the packers. George Swift of Boston, who represents the packers in the East, replied to the letter asking for a conference. He declined to meet the committee and said that the packers were ready to confer with their own employees individually or a committee of them. This was not satisfactory to the union officials, so the order to have a strike vote was made. One of the demands of the organization is recog- milton of the union.
 New Haven has the largest member ship of union butchers in this state. Bridgeport has membership of about 100. Stamford and South Norwa1k also have locals and one was recently formed in Hartford. It is No. 646 and was one of the last ones organized.
 An important meeting of the New T L. l N when Vice-President Menhart and Dan iel Rocco of New. York, one of the international organizers, were present The wages asked for by the men is from 60 to 80 cents an hour The Butcher Workman, the official organ of the ama1gamated thus tells why the men want more wages:
 'The workers in the packing industry particularly having felt the sting of poverty, realize what this tragic-comic race between the cost of living and in creased wages means. They, have learn ed to their sorrow that interruptions prohteers, who started this hopeless race to feed their unsuitable greed, relentless ly have raised the cost of necessaries of life to such dizzy heights that, for in stance the packing house employees in adequate wages are far beneath the re- qulf 6Ile1tS O1 d QGCellI SIdludIu OI nv ing.
 However, the avaricious prohteer himself must end this unnatural race which he viciously has begun; and when the bitter end comes for the profteer, who has made the purchasing power of the dollar ar insignificant consideration, that ancient, time-worn maxim 'alPs well that ends we'll will by no means apply to him The toiler who has been compelled to live from hand to mouth as result of the uncomfortable avarice of the prohteer, will be the deserving beneficiary of the fnis of the golden days of his oppressor."
 The proposed strike will not effect the employees in retail stores, as they have a contract of their own. It is ex- pected that they will ask for some changes in it. The present strike vote is for the employees of the packing horses