Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-09-22
Strike Stopped Rent Boost
Robert L. Stern in New York TRIBUNE

The landlord is no longer able to entirely
control his own property. Since the close OF
the war tenants strikes have become quite fire.
quent One of these strikes at Williamsburg
suburb of New York, involved almost 1000
persons and yearly rent of $35000
When the B. F. w. Realty company pur-
chased IL tenement houses an increasee in rents
amounting to $1,000 was asked This was
divided among 400 families who were paying
an average rent of SIS. An increase of one
third was being asked
In former times the tenants would have been
Ready to move, but in these days there is no
place to move. So the tenants organized a
union. A committee was appointed to tell the
landlords that the raise was too big After
considerable pickering the total raise requested
was reduced by half.
But this was not settlement. The tenants
were not satisfied, and the landlords didn't like
the looks of things. The union insisted on a
further reduction. The landlords baked. So
the tenants called strike. The strike lasted
six weeks.
The tenants took care of the material side
by appointing treasurer and paying their
rent to him instead of to the landlord, He
put the money in the bank The more timid
paid rent to the landlord, and then again to
resentatves of the landlord dared approach
the buildings, and not a single new tenant
moved in.
City Marshal Hugh Mcbride took gang
of "schleppers" to move out the furniture. They
were met by a bowling mob of women who
threatened and pleaded.
What could the poor 'schleppers' do?'
asked one of the women, telling the story after
ward. with women running about and yell
ing like murder they must have thought they
would get killed. Believe me. wouldn't like
to be in their place"
The strikers showed their union cards to
the "schleppers" and appealed to them as fell
low workers to stick by them The "schlep
pers" remembered their own homes, and de-
cided that it was time for the workers of the
world to unite.
The next day the marshal made another un-
successful attempt to carry out his writs. He
then decided to rest few days. Meanwhile
the strike was settled.
The settlement was not made by a learned
Judge in solemn gown, but by an energetic,
ungrammatlcal man in his shirtseeves. The
agreement was document scrubbed by the
shirtsleeved arbitrator on sheet OF yellow
paper, and typewriter, in the absence of prof.
fessional stenographers, by young lawyer who
sponsored the cause of the tenants Yet by
this irregular proceeding the. landlords re-
nounced the right, secured to them by ancient
law, of fixing the rent on their own property.
The tenants committee met representatives
of the landlords in the municipal building. They
sweated. furned and joked in an attempt to.
bring the two sides together. The session
lasted seven hours without recess for supper.
We'll let it go at $3.50 increase" they
said.
The tenants agreed.
Next afternoon the session reopened to de-
termne the details of the settlement The
chairman of the strikers committee dug out
heavy roll of S. and $40 bills, the rent for
August. Placing the total of $4,000 on the
table, he said:
Understand, not cent goes to the land.
lord until the whole thing is settled"
The arbitrator agreed to be responsible that
nothing would be prematurely paid. All
through the session the $4,000 lay on the table.
They wrangled and wrangled. Three times
one landlord rose to leave saying that the
landlords had the whole right to determine the
rent. anyway, and he would no longer be
party to this undignihed proceeding. Six
women on the committee broke into the pro-
ceedings from time to time with shouts of
denial of the landlords statements.
And yet, through all the bitterness between
landlord fighting for a return on his investment
and tenants struggling to keep their homes,
there was the leaven of good humor.