Girlhood: A Global History

6. "A Case of Peculiar and Unusual Interest": The Egg Inspectors Union, The AFL, and the British Ministry of Food Confront "Negro Girl" Egg Candlers

124 6 “A Case of Peculiar and Unusual Interest” the egg inspectors union, the afl, and the british ministry of food confront “negro girl” egg candlers jan voogd In autumn of 1918, because of the food shortages brought on by the First World War, the British Food Ministry contracted with the Davies Company , an American company in Chicago, to supply shipments of eggs for hospitals in France. This agreement led to what the U.S. Department of Labor’s annual report eventually referred to as “a case of peculiar and unusual interest.” The Egg Inspectors Union, affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL), objected to the Davies Company using nonunion egg candlers, most of whom were “Negro girls” who were paid wages at “decidedly less than union scale.”1 Representatives from the AFL, and its local Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL), protested vehemently, threatening to stop all union work being done for the British government. The story of this peculiar and unusual case is illuminating in many ways in that the employment of underpaid black girls threatened to upset a delicate balance not only in Chicago’s internecine labor network but in international relations as well.2 Officials of the governments involved could not allow the interference of organized labor to delay the delivery of the desperately needed food. These young nonunion egg candlers were actors in a political drama being played out on a global stage, in the limelight of war and postwar rebuilding. Surrounded by high stacks of egg cases, egg candlers worked in thick, stench-laden air. A small metallic oil lamp, attached by a wooden fixture to the end of the middle of three open egg cases, was the only light in the room, the “candle” by which the work got its name. As a Chicago newspaper described the task in 1882, the “candler walked up to the bench [and] plunged both hands into the middle box,” lifting out four eggs. “With the thumb and forefinger of each hand the uppermost eggs were caught up and held for an instant only in front of the flame. There was a convulsive movement of the hands, and, with all the dexterity of a sleight-of-hand performer, the uppermost eggs had given place to the other two, and were being more carefully examined before the light.” A “vividly rosy light showing through” indicated a fresh egg. If the light showed spots, the egg was potentially stale and would have to be sold and used quickly. A broken yolk made it a baker’s egg rather than a household egg. “The term candler however, is a misnomer for workmen in this industry today,” the article asserted, as the ancient candle flame “has been superseded by the more effective and penetrating electric light.”3 By the time the First World War was over, technology had advanced such that egg candlers were using an electric light rather than a candle, but in many ways, not much else had changed. The industry was dominated by the male Jewish immigrants who had brought egg-candling expertise with them from the old country.4 A multifaceted confluence of factors, then, brought the black girl workers into the vortex of union machinations and international relations. Opportunities increased the need for black workers, but working conditions remained poor. Despite the few alternatives, black female workers came to rely on their earnings and cherish their independence . Egg candling offered relatively good wages with safe and quiet, if not entirely pleasant, working conditions. After considering the factors that led the girls to work as egg candlers, I place the occupation of egg candling in the context of Chicago’s unionism and corruption, and the world’s food needs. By weighing the union’s objection to the Davies Company policy, the situation of the Jewish unionists, and the resolution of the conflict, I illuminate the crucial role played by the black girl workers in this labor drama. To do so requires the piecing together of clues from negative space because the labor history of nonwhite, nonmale, and nonadult workers is well hidden in this country. The clues live buried in government records and deep within newspaper articles, and often require extrapolation through the stories of others. The Factors Leading the Girls to Work as Egg Candlers The Great War brought many changes to society worldwide. Nancy Stockdale, in her chapter in this book, describes the increase in varied work opportunities for women and...