New-York tribune., 1919-01-22
$4,000 Strike,
Tie Up 1000
Waist Shops
Walk-Out Is Orderly, but
10 Arrests Result From
Demonstrations Late
Mob Mt. Vernon Factory
Manufacturers and Mayor
in Conference; Employers
Balk on Some Demands

The long threatened strike in the
waist and dressmaking industry of
Greater New York materialized yestcr
day
Approximately $4,000 workers quit
their benches in accordance with in
structions from union leaders and left
their shops in an orderly manner
promptly al 10 o'colck. Officials u the
International Ladies' Garment W orkers'
Union claim they have c,osed 1000
shops. ana that the walkout viii also
affect 100 o0o othcr persons in depen-
dent trades
he manufacturers. however, dispute
the claims of the union, asserting that
by Inc unions own figures only 10000
of the workers voted and that about
5000 OF these actually went out
At the close of the first day of the
walkout, Benjamin Schlcslnger pres-
denI o. the union, stated that they are
stu ready to submit their differences
including their demands for Is per
cent increase in wages and a forty
four- hour week, to arbitration, while
tthe manufacturers announced that
'AeA-OtSh thSJ diS WlllIS 20. dIDIlT2ie
wages and hours. they must hold out
on certain question o. shop manage
mont
Police Prepare TO Action
Preparations for the event we're
made by the Police Department. who
had assigned 100 extra men to preserve
order IN the districts most affected
The women, however, moved away from
their places in an orderly manner. pro
cocding in long files in the vicinity of
FHth Avenue. and Madison and Union
SQUARES. whence they paraded with
numrouS banners and posters to halls
IN various sections Of the city
Later IN the day, however. many
strikers were arrested on charges of
dlsorderly conduct. and in Mount Yer
non the workers are declared to- have
broken down doors and windows of
factories and beaten proprietor.
situation, said: THE general walkout
is just as | expected it, The entire in
dustry is completely tied up. Not a
single case of disorder has been re
ported up to p. M, among the 35, 900
workers who left their places. We are
winning our fight already, as you can
see from the fact that more than 800
independent shops have already de-
clared their Willingness to accede to
Cdl NSdidiuS- ASSc, ne SdlG, NOulU
be referred to the settlement commit
tee, which met last night and will meet
daily to consider the proposals.
A conference between the Mayor and
four representatives of the manufac-
furers during the afternoon ac-
complished nothing. Harry A Gordon,
counsel for the Dress and Waist Manu-
facturers' Association, said that the
Mayor summoned the employers merely
~ r
the case, and gave no suggestion OF
any desire to intervene.
We simply explained to the Mayor
ne said, "our side of the controversy.
We pointed out that the question of
wage and hours do not enter into the
trouble. We are willing TO submit
these questions for discussion at a
conference. We pointed out, however.
that we granted the workers an in
crease in wages of from 10 to Is per
cent asst ugust, at which time they
agreed not to ask for another increase
for the period Immediately following
December 81 last, when our six year
protocol expired
e also pointed out that we could
not submit for arbitration the right to
discharge employees for other causes
than those involving activity and to
distribute the work among employees as
ne see mt during the slack season We
tnld the Mayor, too, that the workers
r1ust recede from their demands Of life
tenure OF employment, which the lead
cTs are insisting upon
230 Shops in Association
On the committee were Morris Weiss,
president Of the Manufacturers Asso-
cation; Alfred Son. vice president
and Fl. l. kamber. The association in
cludes about 230 of the largest shops
II the city. Mr. Gordon stated that
there would probably be further me ct
lngs with the Mayor, who Will mcet
nn1on officials later in the week.
The first reports of trouble arising
out OF the walkout issued from
workers most Of them women and
girls, mobbed the plants Of TIE Now
York aud Mount Vernon shirtwaist
companies, breaking doors and win
oows' and beating Sidney Cohen the
proprietor Of the Mount Vernon con-
Germ live of the strikers were ar
rested and were released or bail,
charged with disorderlv conduct
During the afternoon Joseph fudjn.
striker, Of n East Eleventh Street,
was charged with having ANNOYED Sam
usi as 4 manufacturer, of 1898 Third
Ayenue' and was fined $40 in Nor
rlsania court.
Seven girls taking part in the strike
IN The Bronx were arraiened in fbe
same court for disorderly conduct, but
were later discharged with warning
,oa anree men, Max Bernstein, 81 East
iuod street; Harry Rabinowitz. Q Lud
scw street, and Max Scholler. 1861
Ta sTuiIon street, were arraigned before
Mag1strate Thomas j. Nolan in The
Harlem court, charged with rrfus;n ;,r :.
TO leave the premises of William Fine,
man, manufacturer, of 2Oa2 First
avenue They were each sentenced IN
serve I'VE days in the workhouse.