Poultry Fight Moves Toward Amicable Pact

The poultry situation yesterday presented the most encouraging aspect in many months.

The shochtim followed up their accord with the representatives of the wholesalers’ group by meeting with a committee of the retailers in the office of Louis Nizer, counsel to the Merchants’ Live Poultry Association, the retailers’ group.

At the meeting late yesterday afternoon, it was agreed to maintain a status quo in the matter of hours. The question of wages was left a subject for arbitration by Judge Rosalsky at a hearing to be held in his chambers this afternoon in the Criminal Courts Building.

In the meantime, Abraham Franzel, president of the Live Poultry Slaughterhouse Association, called a meeting for today to consider acceptance of the agreement reached with the shochtim the previous day in the chambers of Judge Otto Rosalsky, the Mayor’s mediator, in the Criminal Courts Building.

$60 FOR SIXTY COOPS

The agreement provided that shochtim will be paid at one-half cent per pound for slaughtering chickens and that they will not be obliged to kill more than 12,000 pounds — about sixty coops — a week. This means that shochtim will be paid about $60 a week.

Sixty dollars a week for sixty coops comes close to completely satisfying the shochtim’s demands, which called for $65 for fifty coops a week. The settlement, if accepted, may be regarded as a victory for the shochtim.

Another point in the agreement is expected to cause trouble between the shochtim and the retailers. This is the setting of a minimum wage of $45 for shochtim in markets where small amounts of poultry are killed. Retailers vigorously protested this point.