San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-08-25
SOME WOMEN WHO WORK
THE PART THEY TAKE IN ORGANlZA,
TONS AND STRIKES.

| They Endure Most of the Hardships.
While the Men Get the Credit-Some-
thing About Their Unions and Strug-
giles In New York City.
Although it seldom happens that great
| long stories of labor troubles are written
| about the fair toilers, they play an impor.
| tHHt part and have us many grievances as
| their co-workers of the sterner sex in the
great army of organized labor. In this
| city the girls and women have shown a
spirit of union and organization for the
| betterment of their condition that is not
surpassed even by the men unionists.
| The do not make as much fuss about it,
| Tor do they hold great mass meetings and
| Shout out from the hOusetops as to what
| they propose to do, but they go along
quietly, organize whenever a good OPP
portUnit-, presents itself. hold their little
meetings in their own quiet, soft sort of
way, present their grievances and have
! their little understandings and mi>under-
| standings with their employers, and many
| times nobody knows anything about it but
| thCrS iy2S
In the strike of the knee breeChes max
| ers, which was recently settled in victory
| for the strikers, the general public was not
aware that fully oue-half of the strikers
were women and girls.
| They work just as hard as the men, and
| harder in many instances, at the very same
| class of work, but they must be contented
with smaller wages just because they are
women. The working women and girls
| have a hard time of it all around, and in
| inS IN InSnrVn IN landed
| helped along; but man steps in with his
| grievances, and with voice that browns
out everything in the vicinity shouts them
OF, the papers take him up and the public
60 ~ know all about it.
In this city alone there are fully $1,000
organized working girls, members of
| trades unions and the Knights of Labor,
| but they are rarely heard of.
THE sHIRTMAKERS.
One of the latest moves on foot by the
| girls is the gathering 10 yether of scattered
| remnants of the shirtmakers union. Four
| years ago the girls in this trade had one Of
| the strongest local assemblies connected
with District Assembly No. 40, Knights Of
Labor. Through the efforts of the organi-
cation the girls were making good wages.
| They received as high as 81 25 for making a
1 l.
| attempt to reduce wages. The organiza-
ton was strong and resented the attempt
| Two thousand girls struck work, and were
sanguine of holding their own. But a new
| element stepped in in the shape of Polish
| Jews and Russians, and jumped at the OPP
pOrtunity of taking the places of the girls.
| The struggle lasted a good while, but the
| girls at last had to succumb, and their noble
- . 10, 10 n-t n
result of this strike the prices of manufact-
uring shirts have been reduced from s.
and s.. 25 a dozen to % cents dozen. This
misfortune practically broke up the union,
and although several efforts were made to
| recruit the scattered army they proved
| fruitless The strangest part of the story
| is that recently the same Poles and Rus
slams who were instrumental in breaking
mp the union struck for an increase Of
wages and called on the girls to aid them.
It was needless to say they received little
sympathy.
Among the other girl organizations are
the carpet workers. They struck in sew
eral of the big carpet factories in the city
year or two ago, and gave in TO the bosses
as beaten. But this was clever little ruse
on their part They got back to work, the
places were discharged, and so sympa-
thetically and with such shrcwdness did
they work on the quiet to gain their de-
mands originally asked for that they sue
ceeded without letting the bosses know
what they were after, and now they are
working on the conditions for which they
struck, and the bosses feel that they won a
victory over the girls. This organization
has come to the conclusion that it can gain
its demands without striking. Then there
are the cigarette girls, always chatty, full
of fun and ready at any time during the
day to maze a dude feel bad on the street.
They have an organization that is full of
fight, and the bosses admit that they would
rather have an army of wildcats let loose
on them than have ther girls strike. They
usually get what they ask for without
striking if their demands are within reas
son.
LONG HOURS AND Low WAGES.
Then there are the feather workers, the
prettiest, loveliest girls imaginable. Tney
had a big strike about a year ago, but
they were only partially successful. They