NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | January 15, 2016 | PAGE 7
Labor 100 Years Ago — Jan. 15, 1916
*Master Butchers Ask Court For Injunction
As is usual and customary
in cases of this kind the Master
Butchers’ Association, or that
portion of it which has turned
over to the walking delegate of
the Employers’ Association,
has appealed to the courts for
assistance.
*
M.J. Jones, proprietor of
Jones Market, has asked for an
injunction restraining the offi-
cers of the Central Labor
Council and the Meatcutters’
Union from maintaining pick-
ets in front of his place.
The application for the re-
straining order was made last
Saturday and the officers were
given ten days to show cause
why the order should not be is-
sued. The boys secured W.S.
U’Ren as attorney to defend
the suit and the case will come
up for hearing some time in
the near future.
The suit is the result of a
desire to try out an idea of
Tom McCusker’s that he
can prevent picketing and
bannering unfair places by
claiming that the public
streets are used unlawfully
in these cases.
Here is a quotation from the
lengthy complaint: “That at all
times since said defendants es-
tablished said patrol, said pa-
trol, and the members thereof,
have interfered with, ham-
pered and impeded, and are
now interfering with, hamper-
ing and impeding public traffic
in the streets in front of said
premises, have obstructed and
are now obstructing the public
in ingress and egress from said
premises, and have ob-
structed and interfered with,
and are obstructing and inter-
fering with the full and free
use of the streets and side-
walks in front of said prem-
ises by making it difficult for
vehicular traffic to halt in
front of said premises.
The complaint also sets
forth that the patrol, or pick-
ets, are keeping customers
out of the store and have
thereby damaged the busi-
ness of Jones.
It is said that Jones’ at-
torneys will endeavor to
convince the court that
when the streets are being
used for the purposes set
forth in the complaint they
are not being used for traf-
fic, and that the title to the
streets rests in the owners
of the abutting property,
and that the streets were
dedicated to the public for
traffic purposes only.
Incidentally Jones asks
that he be given a judgment
for damages.
The outcome of the suit
will be watched with consid-
erable interest.
In the meantime the pick-
ets are still on the job and
they intend to stay there until
they are forced to quit.
Appeals sent out to the
unions for aid of the locked
out meatcutters have met
with a hearty response and a
considerable fund is now on
hand to support them.
And just a reminder
that all the fuss is raised
because the employing
butchers refused to grant
the demand of the meat-
cutters that they be allow-
ed to work TEN HOURS
PER DAY instead of 10.5
to 12 hours.
It may take a long time but
the strikers will win because
they are right.