The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-01-24
Leader of New York Garment
Workers Sees Peril in
Sweatshop Labor
HER FIGHT Is TO SAVE
NEXT GENERATION
With Josephine Casey a Strike
Is More Than Just a
Strike
BY HARRY BURTON.

NEW YORK, Jan. 24.-There are
now nearly 100000 girls who make
garments for women on strike In New
York. Every day thousands more are
leaving their tables and their needles
and coming. singing. out onto the
streets.
AS they stand there, chattering In
gTeat seoQps. walk up and ask any one
6f these girls why she has left her
place" and In newly-acquired Eng
lish, she will say:
"Meese Casey-she tell US strike.
We strike!'
This is the really remarkabIe thIng
OF this whole spectacular strike in
New York. So remarkable that every
one is suddenly wanting 10 know just
who Josephine Casey is-where her
power lies and how she uses II.
Employers. one after another, have
sought her out TO fight with her on her
attitude 10 the labor question, and
many OF them have gone away halt
overwhelmingly decided that she Is
about right in aiding their own EN-
ployes who are striking against them
With Josephine Casey, you see. a
strike is not just a strike. Ii is more
"a vast deal more. II is fight for
the progress OF the world-for the at
tainment OF one more round on the
cloud-tipped ladder OF evolution, of
life. And that, no doubt, is the Sc
cret OF her power-she is fighting for
the human race and not merely for a
little incidental increase for the work
ers OF a certain craft
I'll l-LN I'll - xrc
Josephine Casey, rs the erection OF
a wall across the path OF the past. II
is the wall OF our rights OF which We
say to the holders OF the money Of the
world:
"'You cannot push us behind this
mark We have come thus far In the
journey OF civilization and We are
not going back. We are going ahead,
We mean TO fight TO the very end. We
will stand by this wall and defend II
with our lives blood. because II We
do, we know It means that our chill
dren will have a better chance with
life than we have had. That Is why
we will not let you drive US back into
the ages when we were serfs and AMI
mals-not for our sake, but FOL
theirsi'"
At the age OF 16 Josephine, who
lived in Chicago. left school and go
position as ticket agent on the ele
waited railroad When a strike wai
called a year later among the motor
men and conductors, she organized the
women ticket sellers and became the
first woman delegate who ever attend
ed a street car mems union! And she
won a wage increase OF 20 per cent
for her fellow workers
After this Josephine Casey went
into the garment workers industry
She learned the trade from the ground
floor up. And then she became ar
organizer.
Il saw at once that In this worl
| thousands of my sisters were beinl
crushed into the slough OF disease ant
| immortality" said Miss Casey 81 knew
| that my life's work was an an out-and
out organizer-in trying to get thes
girls wages which would insure then
decent homes and in having the place
where they work also brought up TO
| decent level. And SO 1t Is that hav
been on the job ever since"
She has been through many strike.
In Kalamazoo, Mich, she was put
damp jail for 81 days, and was mad
ILL., but she never complained. "Labo
and not Is in jail" she said. /