Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-04
CLOAKMAEERS' STRIFE ENDS
Seventy Thousand Garment Workers
Soon Return to Work.
HAS BEEN PEACEFUL AFFAIR
Union May Truly claim They Have
Won Great VIctory-"Preferent
Union shop" Adopted--IOme
work Abolished.

NEW YORK. Sept. 3.--The cloakmakers'
strike, one Of the greatest industrial dis
turbances I'm the history OF American labor,
was settled last night. Seventy thousand
garment workers who have been idle for
nine months will shortly return to work. Ten
thousands Of them and those dependent on
them-5O,OOO souls in all we're on the point
Of eviction and hundreds have already been
forced into the streets. The Industrial loss
to employers and employees has run high
into the millions. In loss of wages alone
the total has been estimated at more than
100000 while the loss to manufacturers,
jobbers and retailers the country over has
been computed at ten times that amount.
In spite OF the stupendous reimbursement
involved the strike has been, In the main.
notable for its peacefulness. There were
numerous cases OF petty disorder, and a
petition OF the manufacturers brought forth
from Justice Goff OF the state supreme
court an injunction in which he ruled that
any strike called to emand the closed shop
was in restraint OF tr>6>
julius Henry Cohen, counsel for the
Manufacturers association, described the
agreement signed by him and representa-
tives OF the strikers in this sentence:
mo principle has been surrendered by
the manufacturers, yet the union may truly
claim they have won a great victory for
their people The manufacturers believe in
the union and the principle that all who
desires its benefits should share in its bur
dens"
Home Work Abolished.
Ono essential of the victory and one i'm
portant, not only to the strikers, but to
the nation at large, which wears THEN
output Is the abolition Of all contract
work at home. Hereafter garments made
In New York will be manufactured under
sanitary conditions. There will DE no more
sweat shops. The rock on which all prev
ious efforts at mutual Cancellation have
split has been the closed shop. That rock
has now been avoided by the adoption OF
the preferential union shop idea for
which Louis d. Brandeis of Boston. form
erly counsel for CLAWS. In the Pinohot-
Ballinger hearing is given full credit.
In the articles of agreement the idea is
thus described;
Each member Of the manufacturers is
to maintain union shops; union being
understood to refer to a shop where union
standards as to working conditions. hours
OF labor and rates Of wages prevail. and
where when hiring help union men are pre-
ferred."
other Provisions Made.
Other articles provide for those more i'm
portant points: ,5
Il. Electrical power free.
20, No work at home.
Z go Discipline Of any manufacturer proven
guilty OF discrimination among his EN-.
ployes.
"a Six days work a week and a cash
weekly pay day.
20. All subcontracting within shops abol,
ished. - M
'6. Nine hours work q day. five days q
Z week and five hours the sixth day. -
u. The price OF piece work to be agreed
w. upon by a committee of employees and their
employer.
IS. Double pay for overtime"
Mr.. Cohen concluded his statement with
the following declaration remarkable fol
one in his position:
Trades unions are not only necessary
. but must be guided and strengthened.
have not been fighting your unions bu
have been fighting for what believed were
the rights guaranteed by the laws Of the
country to my clients"
The settlement OF the strike averts
crisis on the crowded East Side. With thou
sands out Of work and unable to pay rem
the courts were literally swamped with
eviction proceedings.