The Battle for the Six O'Clock Closing
A group of shoe clerks win a legal victory against their employer after being arrested for protesting late-night store hours.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Charges of criminal libel against nine shoe clerks, filed by merchant C. P. Devine, were dismissed by Justice Von Tobel. The conflict began when Devine refused to close his store at 6:00 p.m. despite a verbal agreement, leading the clerks to boycott his shop and distribute circulars. The clerks argued the legal action was an attempt to intimidate them, and the court found the information did not state an offense. Jubilant after the dismissal, the clerks vowed to continue their protest until Devine complied with the closing agreement.
“Workin'men, help us in maintaining the early closing movement.”
This 1892 labor dispute over closing times illustrates the early struggles of the retail workforce in Seattle. Today, the debate over labor rights and work-life balance continues to shape the city's retail and service economy.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.