Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-08
New York CIoakmakers De.
sert 1900 Shops.
MANY WOMEN IN NUMBER
March Laughingly to Halls Assign.
ed Them as Headquarters.
CAUTIONED AGAINST DISORDER
Better Pay and Shorter Hours De-
manded-Employers Meet and
Form Organization.

NEW YORK, July. g. The general
strike of the cloakmakers, preparations
for which have been going in for over
six months. began yesterday afternoon in
Manhattan. the Bronx, Brooklyn and in
Newark, n. j., involving about $4,000
workers, 10 per cent Of whom are women.
1t Is the first general strike of cloak
makers for sixteen years, and is probably
the largest strike in a single trade that
has ever taken place in this city. 1t
eclipses even the late shirt waist makers
strike in point OF numbers. The strike
leader is Abraham Rosenberg. president
of the International women's Garment
Workers.
The women were the first to observe
the strike, order. They marched in twos
from the shops, laughing as If the affair
were holiday. to the halls assigned to
the employees of the factories. Then the
men. In seemingly endless numbers.
poured from the shops. and soon the
downtown streets were crowded.
The strike was officially declared at a
meeting Of the executive committee of
the cloakmakers. and a strike committee
of forty-five appointed some days ago,
which started in Beethoven Hail, 5th
street. near the Bowery, at o'clock yes
terday morning. and lasted an hour.
While the meeting was in progress dense
crowds of the cloakmakers gathered out
side cheered when the announcement was
made that the strike was to go into eff
feet at , O'Clock. The cloakmakers piled
into the hail. and 200 volunteers were
selected to notify the clOakmakers at the
1900 factories as they were leaving at
the lunch hour that the strike was on.
Each Worker Gets Notice.
the members OF the volunteer committee
notification of the strike order on a pink
sheet on which the strike order appeared
in Yiddish. English and Italian. The
notification required the cloakmakers to
quit work in as orderly and quiet a way
as possible. 1t said further:
Pick no arguments and enter into nc
discussion with employers, with members
of the firm or with other employees. Take
with you your shears, cutting knives and
other articles of property which you may
have in your shop. Show the world tina,
you are an oganized disciplined, well-be.
haved body. who know your rights and
are law-abiding citizens
The strikers are then earnestly entreat-
ed to be loyal to the unions as well as
law-abiding in their conduct.
The city was divided by the strike com
mittee into seven districts. and the fol-
lowing instructions as to where the strik
ers should go accompanied the strike
order:
"All shops east and west from 3Sth tc
I'D street shall assemble at Progress
assemble rooms. avenue and I'd street
From there a committee will await then
and direct the employees Of each shop to
their respective halls.
"All shops located east and west OF
sd to 18th street shall assemble at Man.
haitian Lyceum, 66 East 4th street..
'All shops located from 18th to 10th
street should assemble at 2O8 East Broad.
way.
"Ar shops located from 10th to Spring
street shall assemble at 80 Clinton street
'All shops located from Spring to Wal.
ker street. shall assemble at SO Forsyth
street.
'All shops located at Canal, Division
and East Broadway and the adjacen:
streets, shall assemble at 40 Henry street
IAN outside shops to assemble at 81
Columbia street
Headquarters Of the cutters during THE
strike will be at Webster Hail. 18th street
near Sd avenue"
One hundred and forty-five smaller halls
have also been engaged as strike head
quarters.
Four Arrests Made.
Four men were arrested by the police