The evening world., 1894-09-24
SWEATER SHOPS IDLE.
Most of Gear" Reiss's Shirt
makers Join the Strikers
Picket Charles Weinberg Fined SIS
on His Complaint.
Three Thousand Hands Refuse to
Work for Starvation Wages.

The shirtmakers' strike begin in grim
earnest this morning. II is a battle royal
against starvation wages and long hours
OF overwork In unhealthy. pent-up shops
Walhalla Hall, As Orhard street. re-
! sounded with babel of voices this morn
ing, and Hoods famous Song of the
! shirt was more popular with the east
side women, who fully appreciate 1t, than
ever before.
Walhalla Hall is the general rem
devious for the male contingent of the
strikers at 50 East Broadway, the
headquarters OF the ShIrtmakers' Union.
Is reserved for the women and girls and
the Executive Committee of the organi-
cation.
There are 5000 shirtmakers In this city,
and about 5000 OF them. who are now on
strike, have labored for the men known
as sweaters" or contractors-men who
| bargain with wholesale dealers and lob
bers to furnish stocks of shirts of any
style and then make their own profits
| out of men and women who toll twelve
and fourteen hours a day at sewing ma.
| chimes for pittance that does not aver
age 81 week each.
The largest of these sweater" con-
| tractors are thus enabled to clear n
proht OF so and even 500 n week, and
the smallest are content to make from
- 10 $50 a week each
me main object of attack this morn
ing on the part of the strikers was the
shop OF Elias Reiss, 800 Monroe street
day. when all but twenty of them
struck. 1t is one Of the largest, If not
the largest, sweater shops in the
city.
Mr.. ReIss is known as the Gear"
among the strikers, because Of the ex-
tremelY strict rules he enforces In his
shap and the system OF espionage which
he places upon his employees for fear,
1t Is alleged, they will join the union
and force him to pay higher wages
nave hitherto not been organized, but
surroundings are said by his employees
to be the cause for the almost general
stampede that took place from his shop
to-day.
The Union committee sent Charles
weinberg to- "pipe on Reiss's shop this
morning and report the movements OF
Relss in securing new hands, and to OBJ
tain such other Information as he could
gather. Weinberg was instructed TO be
cautious and avoid any breach of the
peace, Tor the mon proposes to win thr
| night on peaceful and law-abidlng lines
| When Weinberg walked quietly past
| Reiss's shop the latter saw him Reiss
had notified the police OF the Madison
| SUM 9'hAlpll VI Nlt StTlht, anu 0kt
| DIuccOats were standing about the build
| ing, Rciss called one of the patrol
men and demanded Welnb srg's nrrest
The picket de Jared he was not break
| Ing the law, and he and Reiss engaged
| In an angry argument. Then Weinberg
demanded Reiss's arrest, and both were
| taken TO the statiJn-house and thence
| 10 the Essex Market Court, where Reiss
| was disChnrg i and Weinberg was fined
S. without, his friends allegc fun
hearing Of his side
| picket duty. His treatment made the
strikers very indignant against Reiss.
the police and the police justice who
fined him. The strikers from Reisss
shop had much to say about the matter
when they held a meeting at 50 East
Broadway shortly afterwaTd.
II was charged that the building
where Reiss has his shop is dangerous
in case OF fire, and that there are no
adequate convenienCes for the workers
The shops of Louis & Son, Az Broad
way, 50 hands: Citren, In East Third
street, near Lewis, 10 hands and Mrs
Becks. 3ls and $50 ,ast Houston street
30 hands, are amor, the largest affected
by the strike. .,early all the other
shops employ from ten to twenty-five
hands each.
Ten years ago a quick, skilled shirt
maker could earn so week, but now he
or she can make but s a week. and the
large majority not over 81.