1919 Boston cigar makers' strike

Last updated

On July 7, 1919, roughly 2,100 of Boston's 2,400 cigar makers walked off the job in protest of their employer's failure to meet their demand of a 13 7/11% raise. Three of Boston's largest cigar manufacturers chose to leave the city rather than meet the union's demands and a number of union members formed a cigar-making co-operative. By August 30, 1919, all of the remaining manufacturers had reached agreements with the union.

Contents

Early labor struggles

During the early years of World War I, Boston's cigar factories hired many refugees from Belgium. In addition to being expert cigar makers, many of them were socialists. [1] After this, the manufacturers clashed with the local union, who threatened to strike if the manufacturers hired more employees, implemented the use of machinery, weighed tobacco, ended the practice of cigar makers using their mouths to shape cigars, or dismissed an employee without the consent of a union committee. [1] [2] On January 24, 1919, the Boston Cigar Makers' Union adopted a resolution calling for "all the land and workshops and public utilities" to "be conscripted for control by the A. F. of L., in the interest of all of the people" and that "the working class take over the control of wealth production". [2] Cigar Makers' International Union President George W. Perkins criticized the amendment as an "attempt to fasten upon the International Union...a communistic, socialistic, soviet form of government". [2] On June 19, 1919, Perkins wrote that the proposed strike by the cigar makers would "put the Boston seed cigar entirely out of the market...How much longer the Boston manufacturers can continue to pay these demands, with the many restrictions thrown around them, is a mighty serious question". [2]

Walkout

On July 7, 1919, more than 2,000 of the 2,400 members of the Cigarmakers' Union, Local 97 walked out against manufacturers who failed to implement a 13 7/11% wage increase. This shut down Boston's large cigar manufacturers, including Waitt & Bond, H. Traiser, C. C. A., Breslin & Campbell, Elcho, M. C. A., and Alles & Fisher. A number of the smaller shops who had granted the increase were able to continue production. [3] A strike at the R. G. Sullivan factory in Manchester, New Hampshire was ongoing at the time of the Boston strike. [4]

Gustave A. Rothfuss, secretary of the Boston Cigar Manufacturers' Association, accused Local 97 of making repeating wage demands and of striking without the sanction of the Cigar Makers' International Union. He also stated that the manufacturers would refuse to consider the cigar makers demand that "no firm shall discharge an employe without first consulting the grievance committee". [5] Rothfuss claimed that the wage increase would raise the price of a ten-cent cigar to fifteen cents, while William Collins contended the increase would be less than 1/4th of a cent. [5] [3] Collins blamed the manufacturers for increased prices, stating that from 1906 to 1919, cigar manufacturers have increased their prices by $30 per 1,000 cigars, while cigar makers had only received a raise of $3.80 per 1,000 cigars made. [6] Waitt & Bond cited increased wages of cigar packers, tobacco stripers, and general workers, increased federal taxes on cigars, increased tobacco prices, and other increased expenses, including freight and insurance rates, as the reason for the increased price and went on to state that Boston's cigar manufacturers were operating at the lowest profit since the establishment of the industry. [7]

Departure of manufacturers

On August 13, 1919, Waitt & Bond announced that they would move from Boston to Newark, New Jersey as a result of the walkout. Prior to the strike, Waitt & Bond had employed 1,200 cigar makers and had a weekly payroll of $30,000. [7] Upon moving to Newark, Waitt & Bond operated on a non-union machine production basis. Other cigars makers followed suit. C. C. A. also moved to Newark while Breslin & Campbell moved to New York City. Both switched to machine production. [2]

Co-operative

Following Waitt & Bond and C. C. A.'s departure, the Boston Union Cigarmaker's Co-operative was formed. The Co-operative began with 50 cigar workers and $90,000 worth of capital. Morris Becker, a cigar maker who had put himself through Suffolk Law School, was the Co-operative's first manager. Its factory was a former bowling alley. Although all of the Co-operative's employees were union members, the union officially had nothing to do with the business. The Co-operative operated on a "one-man, one-vote" system, which entitled a member to only one vote no matter how many shares he held. [8]

By February 1920, 100 cigar makers were employed. [8] By that December, the co-operative was the third largest cigar factory in Boston. [9]

On October 8, 1921, five creditors filed a bankruptcy petition against the Co-operative. [10] According to the February 18, 1922 issue of Industrial Relations "Lack of business training, acumen and experience seems to be the generally accepted reason for the failure". All of the Co-operative's departments, except for bookkeeping and accounting, were staffed by cigar makers, which resulted in buyers and salesmen with little experience. Becker also criticized the accounting department, which he stated was "run by a man who owed his position to a feeling of sympathy by certain members". Industrial Relations also faulted the Co-operative for not making an effort to take advantage of special seasonal demands and stated that "the generally accepted...final blow was due to a decision of the Board of Directors not to center their activities in New England, but to open up a market in New York City". [8] The Co-operative's rights were sold to a Boston cigar factory superintendent for $5,500. [8]

Resolution of the strike

The strike ended on August 30, 1919, when the Sullivan factory in Manchester and the cigar makers agreed on a compromise of $20 per 1,000 cigars made (down from the union's original demand of $21). By that time, H. Traiser, Elcho, M. C. A., and Alles & Fisher had all resumed production. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cigar</span> Rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be burned and smoked

A cigar is a tobacco product made to be smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of shapes and sizes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the filler, the binder leaf which holds the filler together, and a wrapper leaf, for appearance and flavor, which is often the highest quality leaf used. Often there will be a cigar band printed with the cigar manufacturer's logo. Modern cigars can come with two or more, highlighting special qualities such as age and origin of the tobaccos used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Gompers</span> American labor union leader (1850–1924)

Samuel Gompers was a British-born American cigar maker, labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and served as the organization's president from 1886 to 1894, and from 1895 until his death in 1924. He promoted harmony among the different craft unions that comprised the AFL, trying to minimize jurisdictional battles. He promoted thorough organization and collective bargaining in order to secure shorter hours and higher wages, which he considered the essential first steps to emancipating labor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Federation of Labor</span> Labor organization from 1886 to 1955

The American Federation of Labor was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL–CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutual support and disappointed in the Knights of Labor. Samuel Gompers was elected the full-time president at its founding convention and was re-elected every year except one until his death in 1924. He became the major spokesperson for the union movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waltham Watch Company</span> American watchmaker

The Waltham Watch Company, also known as the American Waltham Watch Co. and the American Watch Co., was a company that produced about 40 million watches, clocks, speedometers, compasses, time delay fuses, and other precision instruments in the United States of America between 1850 and 1957. The company's historic 19th-century manufacturing facilities in Waltham, Massachusetts have been preserved as the American Waltham Watch Company Historic District.

The Journeymen Cigar Makers' International Union of America (CMIU) was a labor union established in 1864 that represented workers in the cigar industry. The CMIU was part of the American Federation of Labor from 1887 until its merger in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Putnam</span> American politician and businessman

Roger Lowell Putnam was an American politician and businessman. A member of the prominent Lowell family of Boston, he served as Mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1937 until 1943, and as director of the Economic Stabilization Administration from 1951 until 1952. During his short tenure in federal office, the nation's steelworkers struck—leading United States President Harry S. Truman to seize the nation's steel mills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 steel strike</span> Strike by the United Steelworkers of America for higher wages

The 1952 steel strike was a strike by the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) against U.S. Steel (USS) and nine other steelmakers. The strike was scheduled to begin on April 9, 1952, but US President Harry Truman nationalized the American steel industry hours before the workers walked out. The steel companies sued to regain control of their facilities. On June 2, 1952, in a landmark decision, the US Supreme Court ruled in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, 343 U.S. 579 (1952), that the President lacked the authority to seize the steel mills. The strike involved 560,000 workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quesada Cigars</span> Dominican cigar factory

Quesada Cigars, formally known as MATASA, is a family-owned factory based in the Dominican Republic that specializes in the manufacture of premium cigars. It is best known brand is the Quesada, Casa Magna, Heisenberg & Fonseca line of cigars. Its current president and owner is Manuel "Manolo" Quesada, Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cigar boom</span>

The cigar boom is the name given to the resurgence of cigar consumption in the United States during the mid-1990s. Beginning in 1992, imports and sales of premium cigars began to rise dramatically and manufacturers struggled to keep up with demand, leading to industry-wide shortages of raw materials and finished products. The period was marked and the trend accelerated with the 1992 establishment of Cigar Aficionado magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas J. Kuhnen House</span> Historic house in Iowa, United States

The Nicholas J. Kuhnen House is a historic building located in central Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Llaneza</span> American businessman

Frank Anthony Llaneza was a tobacco blender and former executive of Villazon & Co. who is regarded as a pioneer in the resurgence of the premium cigar industry at the end of the 20th Century. Llaneza is best known for the creation and manufacture of a number of popular cigar brands in the years after the 1962 Cuban Embargo, including Hoyo de Monterrey, Punch, Bolivar, and Siglo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adolph Strasser</span>

Adolph Strasser (1843-1939), born in the Austrian Empire, was an American trade union organizer. Strasser is best remembered as a founder of the United Cigarmakers Union and the American Federation of Labor. Strasser was additionally the president of the Cigar Makers' International Union for a period of 14 years, heading the union during the period in which it introduced its successful union label and gained substantial organizational strength.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ybor City cigar makers' strike of 1931</span> Industry strike

The Ybor cigar makers' strike of 1931 took place in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida, starting on November 26 and ended in December. Some strikers were jailed, "Lectors" were banned and there was a lockout. Following legal intervention, some workers returned to work at previous wage levels but others were not re-employed. Lectors had by tradition been elected by the workers and, as well as reading aloud newspaper articles, often from left-wing radical publications, they recited and acted more generally, including from classic works – effectively they provided a form of education for illiterate workers. The most significant effect of the strike in the longer term was that the lector culture was brought to an end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Henry Bond</span> American businessman

Charles Henry Bond (1846–1908) was an American businessman who was president and general manager of Waitt & Bond, one of Boston's largest real estate holders, and a patron of the arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waitt & Bond</span> American former cigar manufacturer

Waitt & Bond, Inc. was an American cigar manufacturer that was in operation from 1870 to 1969. During the early 20th century it was the largest cigar manufacturer in New England and one of the largest in the United States.

Henry Waitt was an American businessman who co-founded Waitt & Bond with Charles Henry Bond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles streetcar strike of 1919</span>

The Los Angeles streetcar strike of 1919 was the most violent revolt against the open-shop policies of the Pacific Electric Railway Company in Los Angeles. Labor organizers had fought for over a decade to increase wages, decrease work hours, and legalize unions for streetcar workers of the Los Angeles basin. After having been denied unionization rights and changes in work policies by the National War Labor Board, streetcar workers broke out in massive protest before being subdued by local armed police force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cigar makers' strike of 1877</span> American campaign

The cigar makers' strike of New York lasted from mid-October 1877 until mid-February 1878. Ten thousand workers walked out at the height of the strike, demanding better wages, shorter hours and better working conditions, especially in the tenement manufacturing locations. The strike was supported by the Cigar Makers International Union of America, local chapter 144.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown Brothers Tobacco Company</span>

Brown Brothers Tobacco Company was located at 119 State Street in Detroit. The building was built for brothers, Robert Hamilton Brown and John Brown who founded a cigar manufacturing business which was, at one time, the largest cigar factory under one roof in the world. Brown Brothers were known for the following cigar brands: Newsboys, Cremo, Fontella, Carmencita, Evangeline and Detroit Free Press.

The 1945–1946 Charleston Cigar Factory strike was a labor strike involving workers at the Cigar Factory in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. The strike commenced on October 22, 1945, and ended on April 1 of the following year, with the strikers winning some concessions from the company.

References

  1. 1 2 "Can the Cigar Come Back?: A Great Industry in Process of Evolution". Barron's. April 21, 1924.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Dickinson, Roy (July 2, 1920). "When Labor Goes Too Far". Business Digest and Investment Weekly. 25 (26): 834–836. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "2000 Cigarmakers Strike in Boston". The Boston Daily Globe. July 8, 1919.
  4. ↑ "Strike Ties Up Cigar Making in Manchester, N H". The Boston Daily Globe. July 9, 1919.
  5. 1 2 "Says 10-Cent Cigars Will Go to 15 Cents or More". The Boston Daily Globe. July 8, 1919.
  6. ↑ "Cigarmakers Deny Boosting Prices". The Boston Daily Globe. July 24, 1919.
  7. 1 2 "Waitt & Bond, Inc, to Leave Boston". The Boston Daily Globe. August 14, 1919.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Why Boston Union Cigarmakers' Co-operative Failed". Bloomfield's Labor Digest. 10 (4): 1010–1011. February 18, 1922. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  9. ↑ Stoddard, William Leavitt (December 4, 1920). "Making Their Own Cigars". The Independent. 104: 340–341. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Union Cigarmakers Fail". The New York Times. October 9, 1921.
  11. ↑ "7-20-4 Strike Has Been Ended". The United States Tobacco Journal. September 6, 1919.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.