As Jack made his way back to the Lodging House, the image of Ellie crossed his mind. While he didn't know her name, he did know that he had quite the crush on her. The fact that she kept rejecting his advances certainly made it all the more fun.
At the newspaper stand the next morning, Race sighed and said, "Them sirens kept me awake all night."
Mush shrugged. "Sirens is like lullabies to me. The louder they wail, the better the headline. And the better the headline, the better I eat. And the better I eat-"
"The further away from you I sleep."
Mush went after Race and they had it out.
Davey appeared and said, "Morning everybody. Sorry we're late. We had to help our mom with something."
"Oh, they got a mother! I was gonna get me one," Race mocked.
"What'd ya do with the one you had?" Romeo asked.
"He traded her for a box of cigars," Buttons stated.
"Hey, they was Coronas!" Race protested.
"We got a father too," Les added.
"Oh, a mother and a father," Buttons replied sarcastically.
"Well ain't we the hoi polloi," Race muttered.
"So how's it goin' today?" Les asked.
"Ask me after they put up the headline," Romeo said.
"Here it comes now." Les pointed to the appearing headline.
New newsie price: 60 cents per hundred.
"Is that news?" Davey asked.
"It is to me!" Elmer cried.
Albert raised his hands in frustration. "They jack up the price of papes, ten cents more a hundred!"
"I could eat two days on a dime," Elmer complained.
"I'll be sleepin' on the street," Crutchie added.
Jojo looked confused for a moment. "You already sleep on the street."
"In a worse neighborhood."
Jack entered and asked, "Hey. What're you all standin' around for?"
"Like Pulitzer don't make enough already," Romeo protested.
"Papes!" Weisel cried. "Papes for the newsies!"
Jack laughed. "Relax. It's gotta be a gag."
Weisel smirked. "Line up, boys."
"Good joke, Weasel. You really had the fellas goin'," He joked as he slapped the coins down. "I'll take a hundred and be on my way."
Weisel gave a small smile. "Hundred'll cost you sixty."
"I ain't payin' no sixty."
"Then make way for someone who will."
"Well you bet me and the fellas will hike over to The Journal."
"Yeah!" the newsies cried.
Specs approached and said, "I'll save you the walk. They hiked up their price too."
"We'll take our business to The Sun!" one of the newsies said.
"Same all around town. New day, new price," Weisel told them.
"Why the jack up?!" Jack questioned.
"For those kind of answers, you gotta ask further up the food chain. So ya buyin' or movin' along?"
Jack hit the table and walked away. "Come here, fellas. Come here."
"They can't just do that, can they?" Albert asked.
Race shrugged and answered, "Why not? It's their paper."
"It's their world," Crutchie added.
"We ain't got no rights," Finch whined.
"We got the right to starve! Let's just get our papes and hit the street while we still can."
"At them prices?" Henry said.
"We got no choice."
"Hold on!" Jack yelled. "No one is payin' no new price!"
"You got an idea?" Albert asked.
"Just keep your shirt on. We can think this through."
"Well what's your angle?" Buttons questioned.
"Stop crowding him!" Les cried. "Let the man work it out!"
They waited in silence for a minute or two before Les asked, "Hey Jack, ya still thinkin'?"
"Sure he is," Race joked. "Can't you smell the smoke?"
"All right, here's the deal," Jack said. "If we don't sell papes, no one sells papes. No one gets them out there til they put the price back where it belongs."
"You mean a strike?" Davey questioned.
"Hey, you heard Davey, we're on strike!"
The boys began chattering and Davey said, "Hold on, I didn't say-"
"We shut down this place just like the trolley workers."
"Yeah, then the cops'll bust out head. Half a them strikers is laid up with broke bones," Finch reminded the group.
"The cops ain't gonna care about a bunch of kids! Right Davey?"
"Leave me out of this! I'm just here trying to feed my family!"
"What, and the rest of us is here on play time? Just because we only make pennies doesn't give them the right to rub our noses in it!"
"I know, but it doesn't matter. You can't strike. You're not a union."
"What if I says we is?"
"There's a lot of stuff you gotta have in order to be a union. Like membership."
Jack gestured to the newsies. "Whaddya call these guys?"
The newsies waved and some said hello.
"And... and officers," Davey added.
"I nominate Jack president!" Crutchie exclaimed.
"What about a statement of purpose?"
"I must'a left that in my other pants," Jack answered sarcastically.
"What's a statement of purpose?" Race asked as he raised his hand.
"A reason for forming the union," Davey clarified.
"What reason did the trolley workers have?" Jack wondered.
Davey shrugged. "I dunno. Wages, work hours, safety on the job?"
"Who don't need that! Hey, I bet if your fadder had a union, you wouldn't need to be out here sellin' papes right now."
"Yeah..."
"So our union is hereby formed to watch each other's back. Union'd we stand. Hey, that's not bad. Someone write that down."
"I got a pencil," Les said as he pulled one out.
"Well meet our Secretary of State!"
"If you want to strike, the membership's gotta vote," Davey said.
"So we'll vote. Whaddya say, fellas, the choice is yours. Do we roll over and let Pulitzer pick our pockets or do we strike?!"
"Strike!" the newsies cried.
"You heard the membership. The newsies of lower Manhattan are officially on strike!"
"Wouldn't our strike be more effective if someone in charge actually knew about it?" Crutchie suggested.
"Well it would be a pleasure to tell Weasel myself!" Race exclaimed.
"Yeah, and who tells Pulitzer, huh? Davey..." Jack began.
Davey was silent for a moment before he said, "I don't know... I guess you do Mr. President."
"Yeah that's right. Hey, we do. But... what do we tell him?"
"Well, the newspaper owners need to respect our rights as employees."
"Pulitzer and Hearst gotta respect the rights of the kids in this city."
"Yeah!" the newsies cried.
"They can't just change the rules whenever they feel like it," Davey continued.
"That's right! We do the work, so we get a say!" Jack added.
"Yeah!" the newsies cried again.
"We got a union!" Davey agreed excitedly.
---
"Pulitzer and Hearst, they think we're nothin'. Are we nothin'?" Jack questioned.
"No!" the newsies agreed.
"They need to understand that we're not enslaved to them -- we are free agents," Davey said.
Jack (sung):
"Pulitzer and Hearst they think they got us, do they got us?"
"No!" the newsies yelled.
"We're a union now!" Davey exclaimed. "The newsboy union, and we mean business!"
"Hey, what's there stoppin' some other kids from comin' along to sell our papes?" Finch asked.
"Just let 'em try!" Albert answered.
The newsies began roughhousing and Davey yelled, "No, no, no. We can't beat up on other kids. We're all in this together."
Jack (sung):
Even though we ain't got hats or badges, we're a union just by saying so. And the world will know. What's it gonna take to stop the wagons? Are we ready?
"Yeah!" the newsies cried.
Jack (sung):
We'll do what we gotta do until we break the will of mighty Bill and Joe.
Newsies:
And the world will know. And the journal too.
Jack and Davey:
Mister Hearst and Pulitzer, have we got news for you.
Newsies:
See the world don't know; but they're gonna pay.
Jack and Davey:
'Stead'a hawkin' headlines we'll be makin' 'em today.
Newsies:
And the ranks will grow
Crutchie:
And we'll kick their rear!
Newsies:
And the world will know that we've been here.
Jack:
When the circulation bell starts ringing, will we hear it?
"No!" the newsies exclaimed.
Jack (sung):
What if they Delancey's come out swinging? Will we hear it?
Newsies (spoken):
No!
(sung)
When ya got a hundred voices singing, who can hear a lousy whistle blow?
And the world will know. That this ain't no game
That we got a ton of rotten fruit and perfect aim.
So they gave their word. Well it ain't worth beans.
Now they're gonna see what "Stop the presses" really means.
And we got no choice but to see it through,
Race (spoken):
And we found our voice
Specs:
And I lost my shoe!
Newsies (sung):
And the world will-
Jack:
Pulitzer may own the world but he don't own us!
Newsies, Davey and Les:
Pulitzer may own the world but he don't own us!
Jack:
Pulitzer may crack the whip but he won't whip us!
Newsies:
Pulitzer may crack the whip but he won't whip us!
And they world will know we been keepin' score.
Either they gives us our rights or gives them a war.
We been down too long, and we paid our dues.
Crutchie:
And the things we do today will be tomorrow's news.
Newsies:
And the die is cast, and the torch is passed.
And a roar will rise from the streets below,
And our ranks will grow and grow and grow
And so the world will feel the fire and finally know!
Pulitzer may own the world but he don't own us!
Jack:
Pulitzer may own the world but he don't own us!
Newsies:
Pulitzer may crack the whip but he won't whip us!
Jack:
Pulitzer may crack the whip but he won't whip us!
Newsies:
So the world says "No!" well the kids do too!
Try to walk all over us, we'll stop all over you!
Crutchie (spoken):
Can they kick us out? Take away our vote?
Newsies (sung):
Will we let 'em stuck this crock of garbage down our throat?
No! Everyday we wait is a day we lose!
Newsies:
Ain't this ain't for fun! And it ain't for show!
And we'll fight 'em toe to toe to toe!
And Joe, the world will feel the fire and finally, finally know!
Jack, Davey and Les entered Pulitzer's office. A few minutes later, they were thrown out by a cop.
"And stay out!" the cop yelled.
"You can tell Pulitzer that a few days into the strike, he's gonna be beggin' for an appointment to see me! You got that?!... He got it," Les said.