Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1925-01-30
BANK CLERKS WIN RAISE
IN PAY, SHORTER HOURS

By international Labor News Service
NEW YORK CITY, Jan. 22.-The
Office Employees Journal, organ OF
the Bookkeepers, Stenographers and
Accountants Union, says in its cur
rent issue:
Their repeated individual requests
for relief from onerous working con-
ditions having been denied, the en-
ployes of the Bank of Athens, %
Pine Street, organized, made their re-
quests collectively and won increases
in pay and other improved working
conditions.
''The Bookkeepers, Stenographers
and Accountants Unions advocacy Of
the idea of organization won a ready
response among the clerks employed
by the Bank of Athens, who deserve
the honor of being the first group
since the unionization campaign be-
gan in the financial district which or
ganized and asserted its right to a
living wage.
Demands Are Presented
when these clerks saw that no
attention was being paid to their
grievances, meeting was called, and
all pledged themselves to stick by
each other. A committee Of two was
chosen, an agreement was drawn up,
and after discussion, amendments
hvaing been made, the committee was
instructed to present the agreement
to the management of the bank for
signature.
ITO say that the manager was
astonished when the agreement was
presented to him one day in December
is putting it mildly. 1t was unheard
of, he said, unions were all right for
wage earners but not for bank clerks.
The committee explained that since
their individual requests were ignored
the members Of the staff had no other
recourse but to follow in the footsteps
Of other workers who had organized
to obtain better conditions.
"No answer having been received
by the committee the next day, al
though the manager had assured him
self that the clerks had organized,
the spokesman Of the employees APP
preached the bank officer again, and
this time they informed him that if
the agreement was not signed by /
o'clock the following day the men
would waA outl For the first time
looking at The mems determined faces
the manager rsaIHNed that they meant
business; things began to move and
numerous conferences on the part OF
the management were held. The
staff met again. and the COMMITTEES
was instructed as to the minimum
demands, failure to grant which would
mean a stoppage Of work.
Manager Surrenders
"Calling the force together the fol
lowing morning, the manager state'
that he had been convinced of tn
justice of their grievances, that sub
stantial increases in salary would g
into effect January /, that additions
clerks would be engaged so that over
time would be done away with, tina
there would be no discrimination
against the men for having organ
lied, but that he would not sign tn
agreement. AS the relief the mel
asked for had been granted, the com
mittee did not press for the signini
of the agreement. They realized that
after all, whether the verbal agree
ment was lived up to depended upol
their united strength; although, Q
course, q written agreement woul'
have been preferable.
eThe Once Employees Journal sa
Iutes these brave clerks Of the BAN
of Athens. They have indicated 1t
belief in the good sense and courag
OF Office employees. Some men in tn
labor movement have been cynics
toward the idea Of clerical worker
organizing and sticking together
Nov aiI organized Office workers ca
POINT with pride to this example.
Employees Treated With Respect
zone advantage that the men Ia
Mt considered at tie time they Of