The People’s Store was a major Times advertiser. The unions pressured the store to withdraw its advertising from Otis. Supporters operated picket lines proclaiming a “secondary boycott” during all store hours, turning sympathizers away from patronizing the place. (A secondary boycott tries to halt commerce with another business that has trade with the original offending business.) From time to time, individuals went in to fill up shopping carts with goods. At the checkout counter they would ask the clerk, “Does this store advertise in the Times?” At that point they would exit, leaving the full shopping cart to be unloaded back on the shelves.

The store owner, his profits eroded by the secondary boycott, was persuaded to try sitting Otis down to talk with the printers. Otis could not afford to ignore one of his main sources of advertising income. He compromised, allowing a few union printers back to work—but as individuals, without a union contract. He also promised to eventually hire more union men. The printers agreed to end the strike and boycott, believing it would only be a matter of time before they could reorganize the Times completely.