The Cigar Makers’ Official Journal was the newspaper for the Cigar Makers International Union (CMIU). The CMIU started in the 1850s and advocated for the rights of cigar workers. Cigars made in union shops could use the union label on their boxes, which signified to buyers that the cigars were union-made. For a while, this was a big selling point for the cigars.
The history of cigar production in America is full of stories of union activities. One of the leaders of the CMIU was Samuel Gompers, also a leader of the AFL, the American Federation of Labor (now merged to create the AFL-CIO).
Some reasons for labor unrest in American cigar making included:
- Wage issues
- Cigar factory management choosing lectors rather than workers – the workers traditionally chose the lectors in their factories and paid them, so management stepping in was a big problem for them
- Lectors no longer being allowed to read in cigar factories
- The use of molds to help produce cigars
- The use of machines in any form to produce cigars
- Hiring non-union workers in union factories
- And more!
The Cigar Makers’ Official Journal kept union members up to date on information, editorials, debates, correspondence, problems, membership, and fines levied against members. Looking through these newspapers is a look into the history of the cigar makers, from the minutiae of daily life to the big issues of the day.
Many issues of the Cigar Makers’ Official Journal have been digitized and compiled by the Hathi Trust Digital Library.