UFCW 367 History - Amalgamated Meat Cutters Local 553

The men and women of Carsten's Packing Co, Circa 1909 — These employees would become the backbone of Local 553 when it was founded in 1916

110 years ago, Sept 28, 1916, the meat cutters of Tacoma chose to take control of their own destiny and chartered Local 553. Working together made them a union but they still had to fight bitterly for recognition. A year later, in Dec 1917, saw them go strike with only two demands: Union recognition and increased wages for the young women working in the meat packing plants. Almost three years before the 19th amendment would recognize a woman's right to vote, union laborers were striking over fairer treatment across the gender divide.

The union's proposal would have increased the women's wages by $50-70 per week in today's dollars, adjusted for inflation.

This strike soon spread to workers in Seattle and Spokane, who added demands for an 8-hour workday and improved working conditions. It culminated with the federal government appealing to the worker's patriotism for a truce until the Great War ended, a truce shakily kept until the 1919 Seattle General Strike.

Nearly seven decades later, Local 553 merged with the Retail Clerks Union to form UFCW 367. On this anniversary of their fateful decision, we can only aspire to live up to their bravery and dedication.

The Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen proudly marching in their long white coats during the 1919 Tacoma Labor Day Parade