St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1940-03-01

ought about an increase in wages
$4,000 per month was established
in the 1885 contract, with an in
crease in the banquet scale from
$1.25 to $3.50.
More serious difficulties were
encountered in 1887 when the union
demanded a wage of $3.50 per
month for regular walters and a
banquet scale of $3.50 and SITS
for luncheon and dinner respective
ly. Notwithstanding the strenu-
Gus objections presented by the
hotel management it did observe
all phases of the previous contract.
In 1888, however, the hotel be-
gan, it is charged, evading the
various stipulations of it's contract
with the union. This contract es-
tablished a scale of $62.50 per
month and an eight hour day. The
banquet scale for luncheon was in
creased from $3.50 to SITS for
three hours work. The evening
banquet scale was set at $3.50 for
four hours and fifty cents per hour
thereafter. The hotel never COM
piled with the stipulations of this
contract it was re-submitted in
1889 and determined drive was
launched by Local GA to bring the
hotel to terms.
The Curtis refused to pay the
scale on the grounds that it was
the only hotel in the city employ
ing Negroes, and therefore it
should be entitled to pay a different
wage. Local Ga, under the leader
ship of A. B. Cassius, realized that
it's status would be jeopardized as
long as this differential wage scale
existed.
The matter was first taken up
with the local Joint Board of the
Hotel and Restaurant Workers
Union which agreed to support the
Negro walters in their demands.
Additional support came from
other unions represented at the
hotel, namely, Miscellaneous Work
ers' Union, Cooks and Walters,
Painters, Engineers, Electrical
Workers, Plumbers, Upholsterers,
Bartenders, Musicians. Following
the stand taken by the above
unions the situation was presented
to the Policy Committee of the
Central Labor Union which COM
mittee is the body that determines
whether or not a strike should be
called. This committee advised the
hotel management that a strike
would be called unless it immedi
ately began to pay the scale as set
by the contract and make satisfac-
tory settlement on back wages. In
the face of such opposition the de-
cision was made to observe the
contract and make satisfactory set
Element on back wages.
Local 614's victory established
the fact that Negroes are inter-
ested in upholding the standards
of organized labor. The united
support given Local GA by other
Minneapolis unions should have
marked effect upon the Negroes
confidence in labor unions, because
a satisfactory settlement of the
Curtis Hotel situation could not
have been secured without the solid
backing of the Central Labor
Union.
Among those who were active in
this settlement were Robert Kel-
ley, Business Agent, Miscellaneous
Workers Union, Local 665; A. j.
Kilday, vice-president of the Hotel
and Restaurant Association and
Bartenders' international Alliance;
Robert Mallory, treasurer of Local
Ga; Ray Wright, secretary of the
local Joint Executive Board of
Hotel and Restaurant Workers
Union; and Roy Wier, organizer
for the Central Labor Union and
chairman of the Policy Committee.
A. B. Cassius, president and finan-
cial secretary and business agent,
was the principal figure in bolster
ing the stand of Ga.