MATCHPACKERS.

OSWEGO.

On the 25th of March, 33 girls, employed in packing sulphur matches in a match factory at Oswego, struck against a reduction in wages of 33 1-3 per cent. After they had been out about four weeks a compromise was effected on the basis of a reduction of 16 2-3 per cent.

MATTRESS MAKERS.

NEW YORK.

On the 5th of September members of the Hebrew Mattress Makers' Union, who were employed in a shop at 59 Forsyth street, New York city, struck for an increase in wages. A few days later their demands were granted and the strike was declared off.

On the 11th of September a similar strike took place in 12 other shops in New York city, and about 100 mattress makers stopped work. They demanded an advance of 15 to 20 per cent. in the scale of prices. On the 13th of September the employers acceded to these demands and the strikers returned to work.

MESSENGERS.
ALBANY.

On the 1st of October about 15 messenger boys, employed in the office of the Western Union Telegraph Company, went on strike because the manager of the office had decided to pay them a weekly salary instead of a fixed rate per message. Other boys immediately took the places of the strikers, and the next day the Western Union Telegraph Company made permanent arrangements for the delivery of telegrams by the Albany District Telegraph Company.

METER MAKERS.

NEW YORK.

On the 18th of March 140 men went on strike in the New York factory of the American Meter Company. They claimed that about three weeks before that date the company attempted to reduce wages in its New York and Philadelphia factories, and when the employes refused to submit to the proposed reduction the company started a nonunion factory in Burlington, N. J. The strikers, who were members of the Meter Makers' National Union, alleged, as an additional grievance, that the company bought indexes that were made by nonunion workmen. On the 8th of March the employes in the New York and Philadelphia factories demanded that the company close its Burlington shop and stop buying indexes. The company refused to comply with either of these demands, and on the 18th of March the strike took place. In the early part of May it was reported that the workmen had abandoned the strike and were willing to return to work.

PAPER CUTTERS.

NEW YORK.

On the 25th of October the board received information that the paper cutters employed by a paper company at Duane street and West Broadway, New York city, had struck against a reduction in wages. The company claimed that it was not a strike, and stated that certain men left its employ and others were immediately secured to take their places.

PASSEMENTERIE WORKERS.

NEW YORK.

About the 15th of January the Passementerie Workers' Union of New York city ordered a general strike for higher wages. Skilled workmen in this trade claimed that their earnings did

not exceed $5 per week. Within one week after the strike took place the demands of the union were granted by most of the employers, and before the 1st of February the strike was amicably settled in all but one or two of the shops.

In February and April the board was informed of strikes of passementerie workers in two shops in New York city. In each case the employes demanded the union rates of wages, and their demands were granted a few days after the strike took place.

PICTURE FRAME MAKERS.

BROOKLYN.

Sixteen men, who were employed in mounting picture frames in a factory in Brooklyn, went on strike on the 14th of March. They complained of the employment of boys, who, after being taught the work, took the places of men at a low rate of wages. The employers refused to discharge the boys, and the strike was not successful.

PLAITMAKERS.
NEW YORK.

By means of a general strike, the members of the Plaitmakers' Union, of New York city, secured an advance in wages on or about the 18th of September. The strike was won almost as soon as it commenced. This trade is confined to a few shops, in which less than 100 men and women are employed.

PRINTING TRADES.

BOOKBINDERS.

ALBANY.

In February, 1895, differences arose between a company that publishes a daily newspaper in Albany and the girls employed in

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its bindery. The company had employed a nonunion forewoman, who refused to become a member of Bindery Girls' Union No. 38. On the 12th of February, when the girls protested against the employment of this woman, they were informed they could leave the service of the company if they were not satisfied, and on the 14th of February 35 girls went on strike. Bookbinders' Union No. 10, composed of the men who work at this trade, sympathized with the girls, and on the 15th of February a committee of that organization waited upon an officer of the company, and, after some discussion, signed an agreement based upon the terms of settlement which he proposed. The committee was not authorized to settle the trouble and both unions refused to ratify the agreement. Another committee was then appointed to conduct negotiations with the company, but, as no satisfactory settlement could be effected, Bookbinders' Union No. 10 ordered a sympathetic strike on the 18th of February. On that day none of the men employed in the bindery, except the foreman, reported for work. In the meantime the company had succeeded in employing a few nonunion girls to take the places of the strikers.

The compositors then interested themselves in the matter, and on the 18th of February, at noon, a committee of Typographical Union No. 4 met a representative of the company and made an unsuccessful attempt to settle the difficulty. This committee reported to the union, at a meeting held on the same day, at 6 o'clock p. m., and the union decided to call out the compositors who had gone to work on the newspaper at 6.30 o'clock. After a vain effort to publish the newspaper with the assistance of a few nonunion compositors, the editor sent for a committee of Typographical Union No. 4 and entered into an agreement that was satisfactory to all parties concerned. The nonunion forewoman was discharged, and all the other employes of the company returned to work.

BROOKLYN.

In the early part of March about 50 bookbinders, brass workers and silversmiths, employed in a bookbindery at DeKalb avenue

and Rockwell, place, Brooklyn, went on strike because of a disagreement in reference to wages. The proprietors of the establishment, who are publishers of Catholic prayer books, Bibles and religious works, proposed to change from the weekly wage to the piece-price system of payment. After this question had been amicably settled, Bookbinders' Union No. 9 demanded that the firm discharge the men who had remained at work while the other employes were on strike. The firm refused to comply with this demand, and hired nonunion hands to take the places of the strikers.

COMPOSITORS.
ALBANY.

On the 4th of March the publisher of Sunday newspapers in Albany and Elmira locked out the union workmen in his Albany office and notified them that in the future that office would not be governed by rules and regulations established by Albany Typographical Union No. 4. For some time prior to that date it had been customary to print pages of the same matter in both papers, the type being set in Elmira and the plates or matrices shipped from that city to Albany. This was a violation of the scale of Typographical Union No. 4, but the union permitted the use of matrices from the Elmira paper in the country editions of the Albany paper, the proprietor agreeing not to use them in the editions circulated in Albany, Troy, Cohoes, Waterford or Lansingburg. The union claimed that this agreement had been violated. From the time that this custom was inaugurated the printers had demanded and received pay for all such outside matter brought into the office. During the week ending March 2d, nine union compositors in the Albany office were laid off, and on Monday, March 4th, the usual pay-day, the proprietor refused to pay for the Elmira plate matter, and stated that the services of the compositors were no longer required. He also announced that in the future the office would not be governed by rules and