The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-04-28
RIkE THREAT
HTS 1t BREAD
SUPPLY MAY. |


xWDVAu AlSA08 lu tuS QO10-ClS1S0
ars 6ning to have extreme difficulty
IN Obtaining bread Saturday OF this
week unless the bakery owners
sign the 1920 agreement with the
bak4fs' union BY midnight Friday.
~ y. Burns, business agent of
the Union. warned today.
NJ Burns said that all union
bakers will walk out at midnight
FridAy from al shops that refuse
to sl6n the agreement.
He declared that the strike can
b nfAde 100 per cent effective, and
that bread and other bakery goods
viii be hard to obtain in the quad
citiss unless the proprietors Of the
shops sign up.
There are 1885 members Of the
bakery union No. 80. and the only
/ 81 who will remain ut work will
= tfcse In shops that are said to
i.avie g.eed to sign tn 1920 con-
i'alked Open Shop.
M. Burns declarede that one of
the hrst propositions put up by the
shops owners after the demand for
higher wages was made April Is,
was to question the unions as to
whether or no there should be an
open shop.
Mr.. Burns claimed that the men
are now drawing wages amounting
to nearly as much as they are ask
Ing under the new agreement. He
said that due to the scarcity Of ex-
perienced bakers the shops have
had to offer wages above the 1913
prices As fixed by contract with the
local union. However, he said that
there are two stumbling blocks ip
the way Of q settlement
The most important OF these ia
that the shop owners want to
change the hours Of the day when
day and night scales shall be paid
according to Mr.. Burns.
Under the old contract the day
rate was paid for eight hours work
any time from 6 O'Clock in the
morning until o'clock in the eve
ming, and the men received approx.
mately 10 cents more on the houl
for work between the hours Of {
o'clock in the evening until
O'Clock In the morning, the period
being termed night and approx
mately 10 cents more on the hou!
demanded as night scale.
Mr.. Burns said that the pro.
prietors now want the men to cal
the period from / o'clock in the
morning until o'clock in the eve
ming as day time and accept the
day scale for all work done within
these hours.
Second Objection.
The men also claim that the pro
prietors want them to agree tt
work 48 consecutive hours in eacf
week before asking overtime, The,
claim that as an illustration undel
this proposition; that il it wa
physically possible, the men woult
have to work "a hours day fol
two days before they could draw
overtime for anything over eigh
hours work on the third day, OF
work any number OF hours per dal
at the regular pay until they ha!
put in 4S hours before drawing
overtime for work over eight hours
after that time.
Mr.. Burns said that the wage
asked is causing trouble only in al
indirect way, most men now beint
paid nearly as much as is beini
asked. under the new agreement
He said that the old agreemen
4 called for wage Of $50 per weel
for bench hahds for day work an,
$33 a week for night work. Ovel
men and dough mixers were pail
under the same scale. Foremel
were working under an agreemen
calling for 500 a week for day worl
andst86 week for nigh: work.
The new demand is for $34
wxek for day work and $40 wee
& mr. night work for all bakers. TIL
ffFemen are to be paid $40 a wee
fprsday work and SAC per week 70
whit work. These figures sho,
81 more being asked for work eac
Night over the wage asked for da
16kk.
Tire difference between this sys
tenn and the demands of last year
that the 81 extra is asked for wor
each night while a bonus of an
rfoximately 10 cents an hour wa
s-M