Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-15
HATTERS QUIT WORK
General Strike Ordered Af-
fecting $4,000 Employees.
FIGHT OVER UNION LABEL
Manufacturers Order Its Use in Hats
Discontinued.
BIG FACTORIES CLOSE DOWN
Union Leaders Declare Battle Will
Be Fought to a Finish-Strike
Not Expected.
;IG FACTORIES CLOSE DOWN
Special Dispatch 10 The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEWARK. N j., January 1J.-The
Associated Hat Manufacturers, including
every large hat factory in the country,
today ordered the union label out of all
factories in all parts of the United States,
and as a result a record-breaking strike
was precipitated. More than 1000 MEM
bers of the United Hat Makers of North
America employed in the Orange factories
alone left their work as soon as the
bosses announced that the union label was
not to be placed in hats.
Three hundred and fifty men employed
in the hat factory of Samuel Mundheim
in Brooklyn, went OH strike this morning
1t was said that the strike would probably
spread to all the factories in the city.
A meeting of the executive board
was at once called and it was said
that before night the order for general
strike, affecting 25OOO men. would be pro-
mulgated, and that the hat-making indus
try Of the country would be parayzed.
Trouble Over Labels.
The trouble grew out of the dispute over
the union label which had long existed be-
tween the union and the Geyer Hat Com
pany of Philadelphia. The executive COM
mittee of the Associated Hat Manufac-
turers met at Hotel Knickerbocker. Man
haitian. yesterday, and there drew up the
general order to all hat manufa cturers to
henceforth ignore the union label and to
prevent its use in their product. Repre-
sented at this meeting were manufacture
ers employing many thousands of men in
the Orange valley factories, Danbury.
D., ;1al ~ ,,4,,
centers.
The headquarters Of the United Hat
Makers of North America. the union Of
the employees. is in Orange and the effect
was first noticed there. When the 1000
men and women went to work in the va
rious factories they were notified by the
bosses to leave the union label out of the
hats Immediately there was a general
strike by the 1000 men and women. and a
call was issued for meeting of the bodies
which would have the authority to order a
general strike all over the country.
General Walkout Ordered
The national board of the United Hat
ters of America through President John
A. Moffit today ordered all members in
all factories throughout the country con-
trolled by the Associated Hat Manufac-
turers to cease work at once and until
the trouble over the label can be ad-
justed
This order was promulgated after the
4.OOO men and women in. the hat factories
OF the Oranges had quit. and the order
adds 2,4OO men and loo women in the
Newark factories to the list of strikers.
Mr. Moffit said the trouble had not been
expected. as 1t was believed the ASSo-
ciated Hatters at the conference in New
York yesterday would rule against the
Geyer Hat Company of Philadelphia. He
said. however. that the union was in eX-
cellent financial condition and would fight
to the end.
President Mundeimer of the Associated
Hat Manufacturers said today:
This is a fight now to the finish. We
VIII not stand for the union label 1t
mas been thrown out of sixty-five fac
tories today
Quit Work in New England
NEW MILFORD. Conn. January I3.-
The 400 hatters employed by the New
Milford Hat Company struck this morn
ing upon orders received from Danbury
as result of the action taken by the hat
manufacturers.
DANBTRY, Conn, January 1:i-The
hatters employed in the local factories
operated by members of the Associated
Hat Manufacturers have gone on strike
NORWAL.k. Conn. January 15.-Seven
hundred employees OF the Crofut & knapp
Company. makers of hats, walked out to-
day on refusal of the firm to permit the
use of union labels in it's product.
READING. Pa. January 15.--Tnis is a
large hat manufacturing center. but the
strike of hat operatives will have no
effect here. as all the local fur hat fac
tories are conducted open shops Willie
the wool hat concerns use labels The
East Orange plants make fur hats