The age-herald., 1901-09-04
WOMAN..
 w and SOCIETY
Shirtwaist Makers on Strike.

Stitch, stitch stitch in poverty, hum
 ger and dirt" is still unhappily truthful
 description of the lives of many poor wo-
 men even In this twentieth century; but
 there shall be an end of 1t, so have the
 women shirtwaist makers of New York declared. At last the worm has turned
 the women have declared strike. When things are at their very worst, then things must make turn.
 The women who buy their shirtwaists ready made and marvel that they can
 buy such dainty creations of tucks and laces at such marvelously low prices have little Idea, some of them, of the con- ditions under which these same dainty waists are made.
 This Hove of a waist" must have been made under conditions so unlovely that the lovely maid who finally wears 1t would little dream of donning 1t did she but know.
 And the makers of these waists, the girls and the women in the great New York shops, have at last awakened to realizing sense of the unjustness of the conditions under which they work, and have Joined themselves together in 0 strike for higher wages.
 In this connection the New York World has the following;
 Bargain counter prices for shirtwaists will be marked up If the women and girls who fashion these dainty creations win their strike. Already the victory is half won, and 1t only remains now to union- ize the shops in which about 5000 cutters fuckers and stltchers are employed By unanimous vote 1t was decided last night at meeting of the Ladies Waist Max CTS Union, held In the University Settle ment building, to extend the strike to the shops next week.
 And we will win, too said Mary Fffer, pretty delegate from the Greene street stitchers' lodge Every woman should be with us. even if. as resudt of the strike, silk waists go up and percales jump from 9S cents to $111. I am sure no woman would wear a waist with satis- faction if she knew how hard we girls work and how little we get for making the garments
 "'Sh-h! broke in a girl friend of Miss Fifer. Let the secretary do the talking They are reporters
 Thus warned the representatives of the stttchers withdrew to the conference room, where a group of strike leaders sat. About the building other groups gathered to discuss reports which came in every few minutes from the shop meetings then in progress throughout the city.
 2 There are more than 300 shops in New York devoted exclusively to the manufac- ture of women's shirtwaists. Fifteen thousand persons are employed in the in- dustry and about 10000 are women and girls.
 'Shirtwaists have been an important factor in garment making said Julius Weingarten, of the American Federation of Labor, who acted as spokesman for the strikers. Since they became popular, a few years ago, the number of operatives has been multiplied by ten. Only now are the girls who make the garments waking up to a realization of the injustice that has been practiced upon them, both as to wages and treatment
 Ut was two years ago that the first lodge was formed among the shirtwaist makers, and since then rapid progress has been made in organizing the needlewomen in the various shops. lesR
 For several days stitchers and fuckers from Broadway and Greene street houses have been striking for higher wages and a betterment of the conditions of employ ment. Reutlnger Brothers, of No. 5S7 Broadway. who employ about 100 girls. sent representative to the general meet ing in the University Settlement building last night to negotiate with the strikers The union scale was signed, and 1t was agreed to submit minor grievances to ar bitration.
 This strike Is unlike any other that has come under my observation MT. Weingarten continued. There are no pickets and the employers are left strict ly to themselves. The girls meet at their homes and then come down to this build ing to compare notes.'"