New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-15
rAILORS' LOCKOUT FEARED.
CONTRACTORS VOTE TO REPUDIATE
THEIR AGREEMENT.

.~ur MEN DECLARE 1T ALL MEANS A RETURN
TO PIECE OR TASK WORK AND THE
SWEATING sYsTEM-TEN THOU
SAND MEN AFFECTED.
,r,snse excitement was created among the thou
,ds of ail0rs In this city yesterday by the report
-, there is to be general lockout to-day in all
.ss shors controlled by the Clothing Contractors
Mutual Association Messengers were hurriedly
r, 70 the homes of the officers of brotherhood
=, T,ailors and they invaded the labor conven-
,,on IN Madison Square Garden Soon hundreds OF
che taiors crowded the streets In the
=, Walhala Hal. in Orchard-st.. and at No 30
s,1olk-st Mass-meetings were quickly called and
the Executive Committee OF the Brotherhood went
into session.
The members OF the Clothing Contractors Mutual
Association also held meeting IN Roberts Hall.
No 900 East Broadway, at which four hum
S,ed shops represented.
The indications that one of the most i'm
portant struggles that ever took place between the
tailors and bosses in this city will begin to-day.
The contractors have voted to repudiate the
agreement between themselves and their employees
Notices TO that effect will be posted in al the shops
This morning and the tailors will be called upon to
decide whether they VIII accept the new rules or De
locked out.
The taiiors are mostly Hebrews. and work
Sunday. but not Saturday
Last night the hall at No II Sunolk-st.
crowded with taors. few OF whom could speak
English They had been told by the bosses taat II
they returned to work to-day they must work un-
der new rules II was said that the weekly wage
system was 10 be abandoned. and that the taiors
were 10 choose between working on the piece-woik
or the task systems. Under the task system they
are 70 work hours a day. anyway, or longer II
they 90 complete the work given them 10 do.
The pay day 10 to be changed from Friday TO Mon
day TIE contractors also refuse 10 longer recog-
ri7e the Brotherhood of TailOrs, but reserve the
right 10 employ whom they fit. They also intend
10 Danish from their shops all walking delegates.
a-r,ifu no O ~
smine their books.
The members OF the tailors' Executive COMMITTEES
were in session late last night. They said the men
MAJ reported 10 them what the bosses proposed 10
a. today but that no action would be taken by
-he committee until the bosses carried out their
threat II the bosses repuGiate the present agree
nent and attempt TO drive the men back TO the old
riece-wOrk or "a sk-w work systems trouble Will fol-
low To return to these systems means return 10
The bosses are under bonds TO keep the present
agreement for year. and suit against one con-
tractor who sought 10 break his agreement IL pend
ing in the Supreme Court
Il was reported that Meyer Schoenfeld. the gen
e~al organizer Of the Brotherhood OF Tailors had
signed. Secretary Herman Robinson would neither
affirm nor deny IT, Schoenfeld the leader in
The strike OF the tailors last July in which they
the VictorS.
The meeting OF the bosses at Roberts Hall
largely attended, and lasted for several hours The
officials refused TO give out any information until
his morning. but of the bosses said that they
had voted repudiate their present agreement with
the tailors and that notices had been printed and
morning He denied. however. that the bosses were
seeking 10 drive the back 10 the piece-work or
task-work systems. He said that the bosses re-
served the right hire anybody they pleased.
over four hundred shops were represented at the
reeting About thousand men Will be affected
BY the bosses reputation Of the agreement