The sun., 1919-11-02
BUTCHERS REFUSE
NEW WAGE DEMAND
About 1000 Meat Cutters and
Drivers Out in Three City I
Boroughs.
PACKING PLANTS CLOSED
Employers Assert Many Men
Will Return Tomorrow
Strikers Count on Gain.
PACKING PLANTS CLOSED

The New York and Brooklyn Meat
Packers Association rejected yesterday
,he demands of the meat cutters, drivers
and delicatessen statesmen who struck In
Manhattan and Brooklyn Friday and
thus drew the issue for a finish fight.
Nearly all of the larger packing plants,
esneclally the bologna concerns, were
closed Yesterday for lack of men. while
smaller shops were not greatly affected
and in Instances, suc,l as at the Wash
,nston Market, 1t was asserted that
the strike was a failure
The situation hardly can be cleared
IA, until tomorrow when II is ascer-
tained how many of the men are ready
TO return to work and whether those
who do not return are able to influence
others to quit their Jobs.
In Brooklyn the Master Butchers
Association asserted that not more tnan
one hundred men are out of the more
than fve thousand shops of the borough.
while the journeymen contended that
not less than a thousand men had struck
and predicted that their numbers will
he increased by hundreds tomorrow.
her of men on strike in Manhattan and
Brooklyn was about 1000.
Bologna Meat May Spoil.
Unless a quick settlement is effected.
however, the indications are that thou
sands of pounds of meat in the bologna
and meat plants affected In Brooklyn
will be destroyed.
Max Trunz, 20 lombard street.
Brooklyn. whose forty men Joined the
strike said he has $4,000 pounds of
meat stored at his place and unless
II can be handled in day or two much
OF il will spoil.
With only ten men out of forty re-
naming loyal at the establishment OF
Hudwel5er & Briggs, IA Hall street.
Brooklyn. It was said the plant will be
compelled to shut down with 1000
pounds of meat on hand, unless relief
is found
The packers association announced
that their decision to reject the demands
of the strikers is based on the ground
that the demands are 'unreasonably un-
fair and literally teeming with extraordi-
nary propositions which show soviet and
Bolshevist tendencies" Further It was
stated the proposals of the strikers fix
no period of duration for the terms II
the employers accepted them. The as
ISOLATION represents approximately 9s
per cent OF the employers affected by
the strike.
The appearance of two truckloads of
striking meat men at one of the chain
meat stores Of the Albert Rosen Com
pany. 32s5 Fulton street, Brooklyn, who,
II is said, tried to call out the men of
that store, resulted In a call for help at
the Liberty avenue police station.
Mr.. Rosen. who heads one of the
largest Brooklyn bologna manufactures,
said all his men are loyal and that he
Is having no trouble maintaining produc-
ton. He admitted, however, that he is
paying his men more than the union
scale, Mr.. Rosen said he does not be-
lleve more than % per cent of the em-
ployees in Brooklyn are members of the
union.
Quiet in Washington Market.
Extra policemen were on duty at the
Washington Market yesterday, but found
very little to do. Only FL of the 225
employees at that market walked out, ac-
cording to John Minder. president of the
Washington Market Merchants Associa-
ton, "and I think they wish they were
back" he added.
II was estimated OOO meat handlerS
are out in the williamsburg and Green
point sections.
Drivers and meat cutters of various
meat packing houses and the larger
butchers, whose pay now is an average
OF SIS week, are said to be formulat-
Ing demands for an increase of about 81
week and an increase of per cent. on
collections. There was a report yester-
day that these men may Join the strike.
Two thousand OF the 5000 meat cut
ters in Brooklyn and Queens are on
strike, according to George Molter, sec
retary Of Meat Cutters Union No. 342.
They are asking $40 a week instead Of
the present $50, it was stated, and re-
duction Of two hours in the Saturday
workday
In the Greenpoint section the men are
asking $40 a week. In Ridgewood the
demands range down TO S35. A work
day OF to o'clock is being asked, ex-
eept on Saturday, when the men are
willing to work until o'clock They
work now from to 6 and from to
on Saturdays.
Have Had Previous Raises.
The packers association contends that