Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-09-25
FUR WORKERS
HIT AS UNFAIR IN
HOLLANDER CASE
Secretary Hilfers at Trades
Council Meeting Attacks
Attitude of Union.

Union was unreasonable and unfair
in its actions toward the firm of A.
Hollander & Son were made by
Secretary Harry f. Hilfers at a
meeting last night of the Essex
Trades Council. He scored the atti-
tude shown at a meeting Of the Fur
Workers Union last Monday night,
when Samuel Kurtz, a saloonkeeper
of 1S6 McWhorter street, berated A
w. Miller, the organizer. Mr. Hill
fers told the trades council that the
Hollander firm had taken men back
to work, at the request of the union.
who had been discharged for very
good reasons.
These men. discharged and taken
back to work." said Mr.. Hilfers, had
been discharged for reasons that no
firm should have to stand for, and
when the firm of A. Hollander & Sons
granted them another chance 1t
shows that they are certainly willing
to abide by the rules of the union.
although some of the recent requests
were unreasonable. To top the mat
ter off, few men have been trying
to agitate another strike.
MIR. Kurtz and Morris Katz had
themselves appointed delegates after
the recent strike. Mr.. Kurtz prom
lsed me that he would resign,
as the bylaws of the union
specifically state that no person shall
represent the Fur Workers Union
who is not a fur worker. When Mr..
kurt%$tarted to speak he berated Mr..
aA1 70 70
the platform and remind him of his
promise. He reluctantly resigned, as
did Mr.. Katz. 1t was one of the
most turbulent meetings | ever at
tended, and when l saw Mr. Kurtz
before the meeting l requested that
he say nothing that would stir up the
men and women present. After prom
Using me he would not, he started to
run Mr. Miller down. / know, as
well as you, that Mr.. Miller did
everything in his power to help the
men at the late strike, and has also
done everything to avert another.
VIII Fight for Fur Workers.
when l informed Mr.. Kurtz of his
promise and he resigned he told me
that il necessary he would come back
and fight for the fur workers. If
the men employed at the Hollander
plant send delegates 10 the Essex
Trades Council the arbitration COM
mittee is always at their service"
Mr.. Hilfers said that the arbitra-
tion committee of the council had
taken up the case of Engineer Colds
with the Hollander fl -, because Del
egate Hebeler had stHed that Colds
owed the engineers union $40 for
money loaned, four years back dues,
to $48, and an initiation
fee of So, the whole amount being S73
After some discussion the Hollander
firm consented to leave the matter
to the arbitration committee of the
council and whatever action 1t de-
cided upon would be agreeable to the
firm.
Delegate Abraham Stiglitz told the
council that Mr.. Hilfers had worked
like a trogan at the meeting of the
fur workers last Monday and moved
that q committee be Aappointed from
the council to atte ~ all the fur
workers meetings. He suggested
tha tMr. Hilfers be one of the COM
mites, as the members of the union
would listen to him y
Attacks Chain Groceries.
William NJ Howe. State organizer
of the New Jersey Retail Grocers'
Association, asked permission to
speak before the council. His re-
quest being granted, Mr.. Howe in
formed the council that chain grocery
stores do not employ union help,
never patronlze union painters or
carpenters and because they have
no delivery wagons do not need liv-
erymen, horseshoers and feed dealers.
Mr.. Howe asked the delegates present
to request the membaSs of the vari-
Gus unions thy represented not to
patronize these stores. He said that
Gus unions they represented not to
stores and % per cent. of the drug
stores in New York city, and that
whenever repairs were needed, non
union carpenters and painters were
hired.
THE clerks are the most poorly
paid in the United States said Mr.
Howe. "They make a cut In the
price of standard goods of a few
cents and then make UP the differ
ence by selling at high prices prod
ucts put up by themselves and which
are inferior to the articles initiated.
I'm Philadelphia one-half of the
grocers have been put out of busi-
ness by these chain stores controlled
by the money interests of the United
States and when all these retail gro-
find that you will pay more for goods
than you ever paid before"
The council voted to appoint a COM
mittee to confer with officials of the
Retail Grocers Association to rec
ommend some course of action.
Politics entered the discussion when
A, J. CozZolino, representing the
Walters Union. inforned the coun-
ell that his union had gone on record
as against the mo Boss candidates.
The council endorsed r. Elmer
Throssel for re-appointment on the
school board. A communication from
Typograp phieal Union, No. 10S stated
that If Mr.. Throssel had the endorse
ment of organized labor, Mayor
Thomas L. Raymond would reap
point him. The endorsement came
without a dissenting vote.
Joseph Rose. delegate from the Bar
tenders Union, urged that the MEM
bers patronizing saloons insist upon
the bartenders serving them have a
union button. He also announced that
the Bartenders' Sick Benefit Society
would hold benefit dance next
month. The date and place have not
as vet been decided but the proceeds
will go into the society's treasury.
White Goods Workers Organize.
secretary l1lllerS announced the or
ganization of the first branch of the
White Goods Workers in this city,
About seventy-tive girls employed by
Liebe9 & Hoffman, of "a Broome
street, manufacturers of shirtwaists,
walked out last Friday after their de-
mands for an increase of wages were
refused and were taken back four
days later by the firm at an increased
wage of 81 for each girl. Efforts are
being made by Miss Mabel Craig,