The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-01-02
UNION UNI D |. TO STUDY 81 ] ! h.
. LABOR MOVEMENT ||0||I|V|I
Lady Garment Workers Studying
History Under Rand School
of Social Science.

A most interesting experiment is
being carried on in New York this
year by the International Ladies' Gar
ment Workers union, the third larg-
est organization in the ranks Of
American organized labor.
The convention held at Cleveland
last June took up the question Of
education of union members. It was
like many others, suffers from the
fact that very few of it's members
have any thorough understanding of
the labor movement and it's problems,
so that all the burden of responsibility
in the International and the various
locals falls on "a comparatively small
number of persons. who seldom re-
ceive hearty and efficient support
from the rank and file. These So
called leaders get. all the blame for,
whatever may go wrong; while they
receive only. too little credit for what
they achieVe,under such difficult con.
ditions. The delegates. at Cleveland
agreed that. the most necessary step
to strengthen the organization for the
great work it. has before it, was to
start a work Of systematic education
of the rank and file. After general
discussion the, matter was referred to
the general executive board and a
special committee on education. work
ing hand in hand. with it, and they
have since worked out an elaborate
plan. -
80 The International union has entered
an agreement. with the Rand School
of Social Science, a workingmen's
college located at 40 East Nineteenth
street, New York city, and having
branches in various parts of the coun-
try, which has been doing a. valuable
work for education for more than
eight years. Under the joint direc-
ton of the union and the school,, a
regular course Of instruction is now
being given to class of more than
one hundred members of the organ
ization.
The class meets twice a. week, on
Thursday evenings and Sunday after
moons. It began its work the first
week in December and will 20 on till
the end Of April.
The course includes such subjects
as an outline of the history of the
labor movement, with special. refer
ence to the garment Industry; labor
politics, labor legislation and work.
mems insurance; the legal rights of
trade unlons; practical problems and
methods of union activity, both IN
time of strike and in time of peace.
These subjects are being treated part
ly through carefully arranged lectures
given by. such men as Morris EIillduit
and Jacob Panken, lawyers we'll
known for their services to the gar
'ment workers union; Meyer London.
another labor lawyer who was elected
to. congress last November In the
IweIfth New York district; I. M,
Rubinow, the foremost American
authority on the subject of insurance
against accident, sickness, old are
and unemployment; Algernon Lee,
educational director of the :. Rand
school, and others. Besides the
lectures, there are class sessions in
which the students. meeting in small
groups, review the topics dealt with
In the lectures and receive instruc-
ton In elementary civics, methods of
union work, and to some extent I'm
grammar and composition.
Great interest is being shown. and
at the. last moment the number Of
union members applying for adrnfs-
sion to the class was more than could
be Accommodated. It is expected that
the course will be repeated on a
larger scale next season, and it will
probably be extended to other cities
where the I. L. G. w. u. il largely
represented.