New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-04
AIMED ATTHE SWEAT SYSTEM
SEVERAL, THOUSAND GARMENT WORKERS
ON STRIKE.
THE EAST SIDE STREETS CROWDED WITH EX-
CITED MEN-DIsCCssING THEIR GflEN-
ANCEs-TRoUBLE ALSO AMONG

CITED MEN-DIsCCssING THEIR GlIEN-
ANCEs-TRoUBLE ALSO AMONG
THE CARPENTERS.
While the big labor parade yesterday was at
tracing thousands of onlOokers. and the men III
line marched past with smiling faces. another sor'
of parade informal and without apparent system
was making the thickly populated tenement-house
districts on the East Side scene of unusual ous'e
and activity These were the United Brotherhoou
of Tailors and their friends and sympathizers. anu
the United Garment Workers of America. ABOUT
5000 or 5000 of them are on strike Tor better vas
apd MANY of the streets in the neighborhooi OF
Essex Market were thronged all day. 50 az to rem
der them almost impossible In BTooMe-sl, Wy
nosjte what Is known the New Irving Han buii"-
ing there was crowd OF fully 2OU people WHO
stood here and there in groups. each group discuss
tho axc,,edlv the chance of winning the strike. The
sidewalks were lined with people as FAR as Suioih
st. and at No. T. which is the headquarters o! '.ie
Executive Board OF the brotherhood OF IAN
ors, crowds coming and going an ua!.
A. the Headquarters Of the fnishers. NO 10
Sufrolk-st, there another big crowd "h"e
the operators' branch, which has It's rooms
for discussion and negotiations at NO Il ouHo'h-
St. was filed with an excited crowd VINO were
shouting and gesticulating and speechmaKins all
the time Tribune reporter had TO fight his way
into the Headquarters OF the United Cloak Makers
Union at No. So Orchard-st., and policemen s'ood
around in large numbers to keep the people IN
line and to preserve order
WHAT THEY ARE FIGHTING AGAINST
The trouble among the tailors is over what is
known as the task system. the sweating system
the long hours and the low wages They seek the
abolition of the task system, and demand that
they shall be paid. as any American artisan Is
paid a fair days wages Tor certain number OF
hours work each day. The way the business is
done at present. they declare, gives them no time
TO see their families. and gives them only starva-
lfoh
sert there are three factors In the matter the ner-
chant the contractor and the operator the con-
tractor agrees with the merchant to turn out so
many coats In a given time. and TO DO THIS ne mas
to distribute the work among operators nastefs
and inishers. These confined. often TO the num-
nor Of a dozen in a small room, and this called
a sweat shop" An operator gets from the con-
tractor what is called task to DO, ana hi'her'o
this ha. consisted OF about seven coats. by WORK
Ing hard on these for days the operator could
finish them, receiving about 81 for MS WORK. ule
basters would get s. CO. and the fnishers 81 80
What the men kicking against now Is that
the task has been increased TO ten twelve aha' III
some cases, fifteen coats, while the pay mas re-
manned the They say that the most they can
make under the old system Is about s. week ana
that they would not make a penny more under the
change. while being obliged TO work nearly twice az
long. They say they are willing to work ten hours
a day. and be paid for days work but they
refuse any longer to submit to the present cond-
Makers have joined them and struck. too
DENOUNCINCi THE SYSTEM.
More than 5000 of the United Brotherhood OF
Tailors assembled in and around New Irving Hall
in Broome-st early yesterday afternoon and dehv
cred some fiery speeches 10 one another IN Wfch
the contractor as we'll the merchant was de-
nounced in vigorous terms. Herman Levy mem
Der Of the Executive Board. presided. Henry
Wachsman was made vice-president and Samuel
nd
retaries A. A. Susman. of the Baster Local
Union No. 2. made a vigorous speech, ana 50 did
Benjamin schweistzer. of the Presers branch No.
IT, Following Meyer Schoenfeld' OF the OPP
orators local branch No. 20, and mis- remarks were
wildly cheercd
"Eor fifteen wears" said he Eve have been work
ing from o'clock IN the morning until 10 at night.
We never have chance TO see our iaInihes' ana
challenge any physician to deny that there are more
than ten per cent Of the unfortunate sweaters who
are not crippes If the contractors would make
common with US against the big merchants
Of Broadway and Mercer-st. we would succeed
(Applause) But if they think they can intlmidate
us by the influence of the saloon of the politicians
or Of the police we say tnas We w se
Ralph Lewis also made speech ana [nen tand by
one another until the fight is won , -, .u
The chairman OF the meeting told the reporter
tina, Nv abo S ioS6 On strike today counting
those in Brooklyn and BrownsviNe.
WORSE THAN SIBERIA. THEY SAY.
Abraham Harrison. Of the Executive Board OF
the United Brotherhood Of Tailors, said:
I'VE are not Socialists nor Anarchists we VINO
were born here and who came here from tyrannica
and monarchica countries want TO do well as
decent Americans In the liberty-oving United
States We are not strike for money he con-
tinued but 10 be treated as Americans AT pres
ent we labor under conditions which do not prevail
in the mines Of Siberia.
Eve want a ten-hour work day. We leave oul
homes every day when families are yet sound
asleep, and return at an hour when they nave
long since retired. We them awake but once a
week when religious influence compels the OBJ
servance Of one day time of rest $500
1--WE are strangers 10 our own chlldren, ahc
our offspring often call others papa because they
see them daily. When the task system Is GU
az the way we shall attack the sweating system
we want TO be employed directly by the manuI &C
turers in their shops and not on the cohVlc
plan" 49, o,r Ton
for sub-contractors all over the city nave peer
ordered BY the delegates OF the several unions 20 e
on strike to-day. This is meant TO be an organize
effort to break up what Is known as me Iuinpihi
svstem by means OF which sub-coptractors tax
rortions OF the carpenter work on buildings ana EN-
do the work The Board OF Delegates or the DuId
ing trades supporting the carpenters. A I me-,
ing Will be held to-day at No 13y West Fifty
ni1th-st OF delegates Of the United BROTHERHOOD
Of Carpenters and Joiners. the Amalgamated 80
ciety OF Carpenters and Joiners the United Orde
of Sarpenters and Joiners and the Progressive Car
peners Society TO hear reports OF the various JoD
that have been affected by the strike order.