United labor bulletin., 1910-10-20

l
tire clothing trade. The trouble started
at the factory of Hart, Schaffner &
Marx Co., one of the largest sweatshops
in the country. The trouble was precip'
itated by the announcement of a deep
cut in wages all along the line, and the
employees realizing that If they meekly
submitted other cuts would likely fol-
low, decided to call halt
On Friday, Oct. Z, 16 girls, working in
shop 16, grew tired of the conditions
they were forced to work under.
They walked out of the shop and re-
fused to go back. These girls went be-
fore President Noren of the Garment
Workers and, with tears in their eyes,
told of what they were forced to bear in
the shops Noren advised them to see
him again and arrangements would be
made to better the conditions.
some of the work done by the striking
girls was being sent to shop "a. The
girls on strike saw some of the girls in
shop "a and they, too, walked out. Be
fore three days had passed there were
several hundred employees in the various
loop district shops on strike.
The strikers told of what they had been
forced to bear while at work. First OF
all they were forced to cut four layers
of suiting at one cutting for the price
of one suit. They were being paid so
cents for a cut, meaning one suit.
| The tailors were charged for the least
error and for damaged goods, some being
charged as high as IS for a mismatched
lining. The girls were charged for lost
spools of thread and empty ones as well.
Every employe was required to procure
pass in order to get drink of water.
Spies were placed in the lavatories and
| in the shops to prevent discussion of
the conditions.
With these and many other grievances
the strike was started and began to
grow. A committee of the strikers and
union officials visited General Manager
Strauss of the Hart, Schaffner & Marx
firm and placed the grievances before
him. Mr.. Strauss laughed at them.
| With the statement of Mr.. Strauss the
strike started in earnest. Before week
had elapsed over 1000 garment workers
were taken into the union. Then it was
that the strike bound firm hired private
detectives from various agencies, Sc
cured uniformed policemen and placed
these on guard at the various shops
Two of the strikers were slugged while
picketing near one of the shops. Two
others we're beaten while passing out
| literature announcing a meeting. A girl
was checked by Superintendent Peth for
| refusing to work. A young man was
checked for taking the part of worker
who was being charged s4.0O for mis-
matching a piece of lining. The latter
choking was done, according to wit
nesses, by Foreman Buttress.
Finally, up to last Saturday over -four
thousand men, women, boys and girls
were on strike. Employees of many oi
the shops walked out in body during
the morning. In the afternoon the po
lice and thugs attacked the strikers.
At least IL men strikers and several
| policemen were hurt, more or less, when
repetation of the riot that occurred at
Halsted and Nineteenth streets Saturday
took place Monday at Milwaukee ave
nue. and Wood street, near the shops OF
Hart Schaffner C Marx.
The strikers blew the whistles, oppo-
site the shop, and the employees began
to pour out. The thugs and policemen
began to beat them back and a riot oc-
Cured The strikers on the opposite
side of the street ran to the aid of their
comrades and in the melee that occurred
severe injuries were sustained on both
sides The men arrested on Saturday
will be tried on charges of disorderly
conduct before jury in the criminal
court building Nov. 6.
Over 1000 additional Hart, Schaffner
& Marx employees quit work yesterday
in shops 1, 3, A. 5, II, 13, 80 and 33.
This ties up all the shops with the ex-
ception of four. The employees in the
four remaining shops are expected to
walk out at any time. The cutters
at Kuppenheimer & Co.'S establishment
are also expected to quit work.
The hall, aisle, stairways, and even
the window lodges in Hod Carriers hall,
Harrison and Green streets, were
jammed with cheering mass of human
ity Sunday afternoon. A great meeting
had been anticipated, but nothing like
the monster crowd that came had even
been dreamed of by the officials of the
garment workers of Hart, Schaffner &
Marx. Before 6 O'Clock in the evening,
when the meeting adjourned, the ranks
of the strikers had leaped to about 5000.
The main hall. which seats about 1,200,
was jammed solid. The doorway was
crammed full of people. The gallery was
choked full and two other halls on the
floor below, including the corridors,
crowded to suffocation.
The spirit of the strikers assembled
asserted itself when Morris Siskind and
other speakers dwelt briefly on the riot
that occurred in front of the Hart
Schaffner & Marx shop at Halsted and
Nineteenth streets. The people Missed
and continued to hiss as the speakers
told how the unarmed, inoffensive youths
and girls were clubbed while blowing
whistles announcing walkout. When
Morris Siskind remarked:
"Oh. no, friends, this is not Russia!'
long-drawn, sarcastic "O-o-o-h, moo
answered him from the thousands oi