P, ºu º ( (, ‘Z c
Proposed Tax
of about
$1,500,000.00
Yearly on
Baltimore Business
Read this!
It concerns your
Business




(1)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
Would prohibit a
return to normal
prices
Who pays the
bill P
A demand for an
increase of 334%
The cost of living
is decreasing
Inconsistent
demands
The Union would
break their agree-
ment
They ask for
strike fund
Pro posed Tax on Baltim ore B us in ess
N JANUARY 28, 1921, Baltimore Typographical Union No. 12 served
notice on the employing printers of this city that beginning
May 1, 1921, they would put into effect an increase in the wage scale
of 25 per cent, and reduce the working hours
Would prohibit per week, from forty-eight to forty-four.
a return to - The Typothetae of Baltimore, an associa-
-: tion of master printers, will resist this unrea.
normal prices sonable, unwise, and ill-timed demand, because
there is absolutely no justification for it; and further, it would be
unfair to the purchasers of our product to add the increased cost
these demands would make necessary. As a matter of fact, every-
thing possible should be done to bring about a reduction at
the present time.
While the problem involved is primarily one of the Printing
Industry, it is of utmost importance to the community as a whole,
and yours (the business interests of Baltimore) to a greater extent than
any other. This for the reason that the impost on the Printing
Industry demanded by the Union will create a burden on all business
of our city, not only directly, in proportion to the printing necessities
of each particular buyer, but indirectly, as an increase in expense on
every business transaction that takes place, and on every line of adver
tising published in our daily newspapers.

Should the Price of Printing Come Down or Should it go Still Higher
LIKE all indirect taxes which are absorbed by the consumer, their
real burden and evil effect are not realized until stated as a
whole and analyzed. As the consumer of printing is the one who
will bear the burden, for the printer cannot absorb
Who pays this tremendous increase, we will outline some of
the bill? the pertinent points involved that you may see just
what this means to you. What will this tax amount
to? Who will pay it? And, who will be benefited?
HERE are approximately 860 member compositors of the Baltimore
Typographical Union, and about 140 non-member compositors,
a total of about 1,000. The average weekly wage is not less than
$44.00, or a weekly payroll of $44,000.00. The
A demand for demand of the Union is equivalent to an advance
an increase in wages of 33% per cent. This will amount to
1. a direct annual tax of over $750,000.00 on the
of 33; Oſo business interests of Baltimore. In addition, the
allied Unions of the Industry will rightly expect and eventually demand
the same increases, which will at least double this amount, making an
indirect tax on the community of over $1,500,000.00. This will have
to be absorbed by all business, in proportion to its use of printing,
and passed on by them in turn to their customers and the ultimate
consumer, and this at a time when there is a universal demand
for lower prices and a return to normal conditions.
No business or professional work can be carried on without
printing in some form, therefore every business and professional man
will have to bear his proportion of this proposed wage raise and
shorter work week if the Unions make it effective. That means a
per capita tax in Baltimore of about $2.00, all of which is for the
benefit of about one per cent. of its citizens, including the workmen
and their families. It does not seem right. It is not right.
Recent Government Statistics Prove That Cost of Living is Decreasing
Now, what is the economic condition of these workmen at the present
time? Wages in the Printing Industry in Baltimore have been
advanced about 125 per cent. since 1914. The peak in the high cost
of living in this city was reached about July 1, 1920,
The cost of and was only 114 per cent. At the very highest
living is point of living costs, therefore, our men were about
decreasing 10 per cent. better off than before the war. The
decrease in the cost of living for the six-month period
ending December 31, 1920, was 8.2 per cent. according to the official
figures of the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U. S. Government,
and during the past three months there has been a steady decline in
living costs which gives promise of amounting to certainly as much
as 15 per cent. by April 30, the date at which the present agreement
expires. And yet in the face of this the Union demands a further
increase in wages of 25 per cent. and a reduction in hours of
8% per cent. This will inevitably increase the cost of advertising,
as well as your book and job printing, by at least 12 to 15 per cent.
And if you are interested in what the increase in advertising rates
will be, ask the publishers of the daily papers. The newspaper
workers, are not directly concerned in the present demands, but
automatically their wages go up and their hours come down with
every increase in wages and reduction of hours among the book
and job men.
º

A n Ill Advised Time to Ask for Shorter Hours and More Pay
Thºr is still another strong reason why we should refuse to accede
to the Union's demand for a 25 per cent. increase in wages, a
reason they themselves supply. Our present agreement provides that
if living costs increase or decrease, wages shall go
Inconsistent up or down in proportion. By subscribing to this
principle, the Union put itself on record as being
demands satisfied with their basic wage and desired only
an increase or decrease in accord with changing living costs. Yet
in face of a known decrease of 8.2 per cent. on December 31 last, and
a probable one of 15 per cent. by April 30 next, they demand a 25
per cent. raise, coupling with it a demand for an 8% per cent. de-
crease in hours of labor.

The United Typothetae of America, an international association
of master printers, of which the Typothetae of Baltimore is a part,
have twice gone on record as opposed to any reduction in the working
hours. First at its annual meeting held in New York City in Sep-
tember, 1919, as will be shown by the following resolution:
“33 egoſpel, by the Thirty-third Annual Convention of the
United Typothetae of America in convention assembled, That we
receive with emphatic disapproval any suggestion at this time to
decrease production, whether by a reduction in working hours or any
other method, believing that such curtailment of production is unpa-
triotic, unwise, ill-timed and an economic crime.”
And again, at its annual meeting held in St. Louis in September,
1920, by passing the resolution given below:
“3&egolbet, That the Thirty-fourth Annual Convention of
the United Typothetae of America in convention assembled, restate
unequivocally its disapproval of any reduction in the present working
hours, and recommends to its members that they resist any attempt
to enforce such a reduction except where such reduction has already
been agreed to by contract.”

Typothetae of Baltimore has always been loyal in its Word to its Employees
Tyrºical UNION No. 12, has broken faith with the Typothetae
of Baltimore in regard to the 44-hour week, morally if not
legally. When the present agreement was negotiated in 1919, the
o Union endeavored to write into the agreement
The Union a clause providing that the 44-hour week
would break should become effective on May 1, 1921.
o The Typothetae of Baltimore refused to agree
their agreement to the proposal, but a definite agreement was
reached providing that the shorter work week would be adopted in
Baltimore when it became general in the Industry throughout the
country. And the two committees agreed that “general” should be
construed to mean “fifty per cent. or more of the printing industry
of the country.” That is a definite agreement which the Typothetae
of Baltimore made in good faith and will live up to. When it was
made we expected the Union on its part to fulfill its obligations, also.
If the agreement means anything it certainly means that there shall
be no issue on this point in this community at this time. The agree-
ment is predicated on what may happen elsewhere in the country, and
until such time as it is shown that over 50 per cent. of the country
has gone to a 44-hour week, we shall expect the Union to continue
on a 48-hour basis.

A sking for Strike Funds an other Breach and Repudiation of a Promise

NASMUCH as the Typothetae of Baltimore has always kept faith with
the Union, there is no precedent to warrant the supposition that
it will not continue to do so. Yet in the face of that, Typographical
Union No. 12 has ordered an assessment of 10 per
They cent. on the weekly earnings of each of its members,
ask for in order to create a strike fund for the enforcement
o of its demands. This we consider an overt act of
strike fund . - - -
ostility, a breach of good faith, a moral repudiation
of its agreement without just cause---not from necessity or want, not
in defense, but solely for personal aggrandizement. The Union's act
in developing a strike fund, when working under an agreement which
provides against such a contingency, could be considered by the
Typothetae of Baltimore as justification for severance of all relations
with the Union, and sufficient reason for a resort to individual bar-
gaining with the workman instead of collectively with the Union. The
Typothetae of Baltimore cannot deal with impunity nor safety with
an organization which does not have a clear conception of its
obligations and responsibilities.
Recognizing and accepting our obligation to our customers, and
in order to protect their interests, and our own, we are prepared to
stand firmly against these unjust demands. The principle involved
is of too serious a character to be ignored.
TYPOTHETAE OF BALTIMORE,
An Association of Employing Printers.
Typ O the ta e Of Baltimore
The Adpress
Paul M. Adams Co.
Armstrong Printing Co.
R. Wm. Arnold
Baltimore Printing & Bind. Co.
R. Beaveridge & Son
Ben Franklin Press
C. W. Boone Co.
John S. Bridges & Co.
Capitol Press, Inc.
Central Printing Co.
Crouch-Leeser, Inc.
J. Harry Drechsler
Dulany-Vernay Co.
F. Dunker & Son
Dunn, Heuisler & Sterling
Empire Litho. and Printing Co.
L. A. Engel & Co.
The Falconer Co.
Fiddis-McCrea Co.
Fleet-McGinley Co.
Fosnot & Williams Co.
Franklin Printing Co.
French-Bray Co., Inc.
J. H. Furst Co.
H. Gamse & Bro.
J. E. Gerding Co.
Chas. A. Gettier & Co.
Giddings & Rogers Co.
C. C. Giese Co.
Frederick Goeb & Co.
L. Gordon & Son
Active Members
Printers
Nicholas A. Gossmann
Green-Lucas Co.
Haughton-Toch terman Co.
Hess Printing Co.
Harry Lee Hoffman
Horn–Shafer Co.
H. E. Houck & Co.
William T. Hynes
Industrial Printing Co.
William F. Jones Co.
Kaiser Printing Co.
Killam Printing Co.
Geo. W. King Printing Co.
Kogan Printing Co.
Kohn & Pollock, Inc.
Kuehn Bros. & Co.
Lafayette Press
J. G. Leake & Co.
Liberty Printing Co.
Lindhorst Press
Litz Printing Co.
Lord Baltimore Press
Lucas Bros., Inc.
M. C. Lushbaugh
Macneal & Co.
Chas. H. Martin & Co.
Maryland Advertising Co.
Maryland Color Printing Co.
Metropolitan Ptg. and Pub. Co.
Meyer & Thalheimer
Milton Art Press
N. T. A. Munder & Co.
Monumental Printing Co.
O'Donovan Bros.
The Paul Co.
Peoples Printing Co.
Piquett-Brumel Co.
The Price Co.
Peters Pub. and Ptg. Co.
Raine Ptg. and Pub. Co.
Read-Taylor Co.
H. G. Roebuck & Son
Rogers Printing Co.
Rollman & Schloss
The Romm Press
Schneidereith & Sons
C. P. Schoenberger
Simpson & Doeller Co.
Service Print Shop
Wm. L. Slasman Co.
Jos. T. Slavin & Co.
Summers Printing Co.
Sun Book and Job Ptg. Office
Tall Brothers
Thomas & Evans Printing Co.
Arthur Thompson & Co.
Thomsen-Ellis Co.
Times Printing Co.
Trinite Printing Co.
Twentieth Century Ptg. Co.
U. S. Ptg. and Litho. Co.
Victory Printing Co.
Western Maryland Press
Whitehurst & Co.
Williams & Wilkins Co.
Young & Selden Co.


y
Emerson Drug Co.
Mills-Frizell-Evans Co.
The Albrecht Co.
I. R. Amos & Co.
A. L. Baer
H. K. Cam mann & Bro.
Advertisers Engraving Co.
Alpha Photo-Engraving Co.
American Type Founders Co.
Ault & Wiborg
Lester Dowe
Fuchs & Lang Mfg. Co.
Bingham Bros. Co.
Baltimore Paper Co.
Barton, Duer & Koch
B. F. Bond Paper Co.
Commercial Envelope Co.
Private Plants
Tºº--.
Sharp & Dohme
Trade Composition Houses
The Monotype Composition Co.
Bookbinders and Rulers
Edgar Henkelman
R. J. Kearney & Co.
Moore & Co.
º
Associate Members
Photo-Engravers
Baltimore Md. Eng. Co.
Electrotypers
A. W. Harrison & Sons
Ink Manufacturers
J. M. Huber
Chas. Eneu Johnson Co.
Roller Makers
Paper Jobbers
Bradley-Reese Co.
Dobler & Mudge
D. L. Ward Co.
Miscellaneous
Lanston Monotype Machine Co.
National Composition Co.
Optic Bindery
Sarbacher & Co.
J. F. Weisman
Publicity Engravers, Inc.
Shane-Beever Co.
Lewis Roberts, Inc.
Sinclair & Valentine
Harrigan Roller Co.
O. F. H. Warner & Co.
Whitaker Paper Co.
Multiple Offset Machine Co.
UNIVEFISITY OF MICHIGAN
3 9015 07372 5536
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