The Connecticut labor press., 1920-05-15
BAKERS LOCKOUT
 HAS NOW BECOME
 INTERSTATE ISSUE
Meeting Today to Offset Masters
 Combined Attack Against ~.. Union.
LITTLE FELLOWS SAVED
Signed Up and Fooled Big Boys" Attempt to Crush
 Them.

| The lockout of the journeymen
 bakers of New Haven has now become
 state and outside state matter and at
 a mass meeting of bakers delegates
 from all parts of Connecticut and
 Massachusetts to be held at Trades Council hall this morning, the question will be discussed and plans made to
 counteract the move, which the bakers
 now believe, IS a direct attempt to dis
 rupt the Bakers organization As the
 lockout has progressed 1t has become
 more evident that aside from an attack
 on the union the trouble is also an at
 tempt to put the little fellows" out of
 business. The little fellows, however,
 soon upset this plan by signing up with | the Journeymen and are now doing l more business than ever. The bakers are standing to a man
 now in determination to insist on the l granting of their full demands There | has as yet been no direct action taken | here to counteract the efforts of the l so-cal1ed Master Bakers Association" | the members of which has not signed up because the bakers have been de-
 voting themselves to increasing the out put and business of those who have signed, but unless the situation is
 changed at meetings to be held today
 by the Master Bakers a vigorous cam
 paign will be waged against them.
 The companies not signed up as yet are:
 The L. L. Gilbert Co.,, s. s. Thomp- son, Kregenbohn, Blanchard, Kelly, Ga small concern); John Beck, Emanuel sons, Roots, Hess1er, Chow known as Heklinger & Frank McLemon & Nickolas
 All other firms in the city have sign ed the agreement for wages and hours and have been given display card for their windows, setting forth this fact patronize these places. They also carry the label and Organized Labor gener- ally throughout the city is being urged to insist that the bakers label appears on all bread they may purchase in the stores.
 Incidents collected by the journey men bakers during the past two weeks they have been out of work, indicate to them that there IS a concerted move ment, backed by trust" to make a drive against them with the start here in New Haven. This despite that bakers in all other cities in Connecticut have signed an agreement similar to that asked for in this city The large companies have combined with the so- called Massachusetts Baking Company, which controls bakeries all over Con necticut and Massachusetts but which they are careful to operate under firm names. The bakeries known to be en- rolled under this concern are:
 Emanuelson's and Blanchards' in New Haven, Raymond Brothers of Waterbury, Bridgeport Baking Com pany of Bridgeport, Mrs. Cheney's bakery of Hartford, with bakeries io- cated also in Springfield, Fitchburg, Worcester, and Ho1yoke Mass. With these are combined the New England bakeries of L. L. Gilbert Go, New Ha- ven; O. K. Bakery of Hartford and Springfield, New Bedford, HaverhilL Boston and Fall River, making a com bination that is said to be seeking to control the entire baking business of this section of the country and crush the little fellows.
 The bakeries here are struggling under conditions that would hardly be tolerated before the lockout The bakeries are issuing foodstuffs made by young and inexperienced Italians, their drivers of all nationalities, stable help and colored employees. The conditions that must prevail in the shops under such system and with such crews can readily be imagined. But they are work ing under the policy of "what a person doesn't know won't hurt him" and are to get rid of what bread they can put on the market
 Their excuse of wanting to start at 4 o'clock instead of o'clock as has been the custom for the past two years, be- cause the drivers. or statesmen" as the bosses wish to call their wagon help, nf doesn't hold water The journeymen bakers answer this complaint with a little advice to the drivers or sales mem:
 Don't spend from 10 to 20 minutes as heretofore chatting with the female help Tn every store you go to.
 Forget that game of pool that until recently kept you off the job for from 20 minutes to half an hour and don't finger over the bars in cafes as you have. been doing until the entire bunch has set 'em up for round and the barboy come back.
 Keep on the job as you are paid to do and you won't have to be putting in the l3 hours or so a day you are complaining of"
 General Organizer Kirk of the In- ternational Union, who is here endeav- bring to settle the trouble, has asked a conference with the Master Bakers. The request will be taken up today, but according to some of the master bakers will not be granted. The bakers now maintain that they have nothing to con- fer about
 Much Is expected from the general conference to be held at Trades Coun- Gil hall this morning.