 On May 8 at 4 a.m. , white business leaders agreed to most of the protesters ' demands . Political leaders held fast , however . The rift between the businessmen and the politicians became clear when business leaders admitted they could not guarantee the protesters ' release from jail . On May 10 , Fred Shuttlesworth and Martin Luther King told reporters that they had an agreement from the City of Birmingham to desegregate lunch counters , restrooms , drinking fountains and fitting rooms within 90 days , and to hire blacks in stores as salesmen and clerks . Those in jail would be released on bond or their own recognizance . Urged by Kennedy , the United Auto Workers , National Maritime Union , United Steelworkers Union , and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations ( AFL @-@ CIO ) raised $ 237 @,@ 000 in bail money ( $ 1 @,@ 830 @,@ 000 in 2016 ) to free the demonstrators . Commissioner Connor and the outgoing mayor condemned the resolution . 
