East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-09-03

New York. Sept. 3.-The cloakmak-
ers' strike. one of the greatest indus
trial disturbances in the history of
american labor, was settled last night.
Seventy thousand garment makers
Who have been idle for nine months.
VIII return to work. Ten thousand,
and those dependent upon them-5o,-
600 souls in all-were on the point
of eviction. and hundreds had already
been forced on to the streets. The in
dustrial loss to employers and en-
ployes is enormous. In loss of wages
alone the total loss has been estimat-
ed at more than s10,000,000, while
the loss to manufacturers, jobben
and retailers the country over have
been computed at ten times that
amount.
In spite of the stupendous read
justment involved, the strike has been
in the main notable for peacefulness.
There We're numerous cases of petty
disorder and a petition of the manu-
facturers brought forth from Justice
Goff of the state supreme court an
| injunction in which he ruled that any
strike called to demand the closed
| shop was in restraint of trade.
/ Julius Henry Cohen, counsel for
| the Manufacturers association. de-
scribes the agreement signed by him
| and representatives of the strikers in
this sentence:
/ NO 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 in the principle that all desire its
benefits should share in its burdens" I"
One essential of this victory and
one important not only to the strikers,
but to the nation at large is the abo-
lition of all contract work at home.
Hereafter garments made in New
York will be manufactured under san
itary conditions. There will be no
more sweat shops.
The rock on which all previous eff
forts at mutual cancellations have
split has been the closed shop. That
rock has now ben avoided by the
adoption of the preferential union
shop" idea, for which Richard D.
Brandeis of Boston, formerly counsel
for CLAWS in the Pinchot-Ballinger
hearing. is given full credit.
In the article of agreement the idea
is thus described:
Each member of the manufactur-
ers is to maiRtain union shops, union
shops being understood TO refer to a
shop where union standards as to
working conditions. hours of labor
and rates of wages prevail, and where
in hiring help union men are prefer
red, it being understood that since
there are differences of degree of
skill employers shall have the free
dom of selection as between one union
man and another, and shall not be
confined to any list nor bound to fol-
low any prescribed order"
Other articles provide for these
more important points:
Electric power free. 2-No work
at home. S-Discipline of any manu-
facturer proved guilty of discrimina-
ton among his employees. Six
days work week and a cash week
ly pay day. 5-An subcontracting
within shops abolished 6-Nine
hours work a day. five days a week.
and five hours the sixth day. The
price of piece work to be agreed upon
by committee of employees and their
employer. S.-Double pay for over
time.
Mr. Cohen concludes his statement
with the following declaration, re-
markable for one in his position:
Trade unions are not only neces-
sary, but must be guided and
strengthened, 1 have not been fight
ing your unions: I have been fight
ing for what believed were the rights
guaranteed by the laws of the coun-
try to my clients"
The settlement Of the strike averts
crisis on the crowded west side
With thousands out of work and un-
able to pay rent, the courts were lit
terally swamped with eviction pro-
ceedings.