The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-05-18
MANY TAILORS STRIR =.
Eighteen thousand Men Idle at New York

Eighteen thousand Men idie AT Ne" 10TH
CITY.
NEW YORK. May 1.-THE Brother
hood OF Tailors. with n membership or
over $1,000 decided yesterday TO strike.
The leaders in the organization. including
Joseph Barondess and Meyer schoenfeid'
cOunscied against strike, nut the ma
ioritv of the workers insisted upon n. ana
the committees Of the brotherhood Oh
Tanors. Children's Jacket Makers Knee
Pants Makers. Progressive railors. vest
makers. Oyorcoat and Sackmakers. and
Lithuanian TailOrs We're sent out 20 siVs
notice to quit work.
The committees notified an members
employed i'm shops In Greater New York
and near boy places in New Jersey y
strong effort was made by the leaders TO
prevent the strike at .rts time. but with
out avlN The decision 10 strike was ar
rived at only after protractcd and heat
ed meeting of the tailors.
Although the strikers have not yet
drawn up their demands. % is known that
an advance Of wages and the abolition
OF tho task system are sought by the
tailors. They claim that. notwithstand-
ing the fact that they are az work from
early i'm the morning and continue until
late al night. under the low scale or pay
they arc unable to support themselves
OF their families. IL is claimed if they
had not been held in check for months
by the members OF the executive COM
mittee the operators would have been
called out" when &c was found impossi-
Bile 10 live under the existing scale.
The order 70 strike was given very un-
willingly by the leaders. under compul-
sion. William Cohen, chairman Of the
Executive Committee. tried 10 reason with
the mob which surrounded the tail0rs
headquarters at an early hour yesterday
morning. but they would not listen TO
his argument.
I'VE arc starving. Have pity on us and
on our children and order us 70 strike,
implorcd the tailOrs.
Cohen paciied tne men By promising to
Law the matter before the Executive Com
mittee This incident occurred nc .
o'clock Sunday morning. The committee
considered the question for four hours,
spurred on every few minutes by a warm
ins howl from the street. and AT six
O'Clock they appeared at the windows
and hung out red trade hags the slenai
that the strike had been declared. The
neculiQr features OF these strikes among
the ta!lors OF the east side OK this city
and Brooklyn. Is the feryOr shown by
the participants I'm the movement. Each
man. woman. and child gets the idea
th4t nothing but a strike VIII alleviate
their condition. and strike they must
have. ccme veal or woe" They stand
together 10 the last and generally get a
portion of their demands through COM
promise. For a time they are happy and
contentod, but then contractors gradually
begin % cut down the meagre waSes
again. and 10 continue 90 do 50 until an
Othe~ strike comes.
Great suffering is entaIled upon thou
sands of persons by these periodical
strikes but It s borne without complaint.
The men who struck yesterday are all
cloak makers The children's jacket
makers went out this morning. other
branches OF the new confederation are
expected TO follow suit before the end OF
this week.
Twenty-Five hundred ehildren's Jacket