Omaha daily bee., 1920-02-17

came to head, and when consid-
cradle number of delegates were de-
MED seats they withdrew, held
rump convention, formed new or
ganization called the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers and elected Sid
ney Hillman as their president.
The principles upon which the
new organization was founded were
in brief as follows:
l., To place less emphasis upon
craft organization and more upon a
union of all the workers in the in
dustry; to be as hospitable toward
the unskilled as toward the skilled.
2. To cooperate with employers
wherever possible rather than to
fight them-but to fight, and fight
hard, if necessary. They had be-
fore them the Hart Schaffner &
Marx agreement of 1911 as way OF
approach toward industrial democ-
racy.
Although accommodated by the
American Federation of Labor this
new organization spread with ex-
traordinary rapidity, Today it has
membership of some 100000 and
practically dominates the workers
in the mems garment trades of
America and Canada.
Is Wealthy Organization.
1t is one of the most powerful
unions in the. country; it publishes
its paper in seven languages; it con-
ducts interesting welfare and educa-
tional work; it is planning large Of
fee buildings for its own use Zone
to cost million dohars), in New
York and Chicago; it is projecting
cooperative enterprises of several
kinds; it was rich enough to send
a check of 100000 to the steel work.
ers in their recent strike. 1t has sue
ceeded in binding together in close
union workers of dozen different
nationalities and races, chiefly Jews,
Italians, Poles, Bohemians, but in
cluding many old-stock Americans,
Scotch, English, Scandinavians and
others.
The essential element in the Hart
Schaffner & Marx agreement from
which the entire development springs
is also the fundamental idea found in
the "shop-committee" system which
| have already described-that labor
must be represented in managing
those elements of industry which
concern its own life. Therefore the
Hart Schaffner & Marx agreement
provides for the secret election by
the workers in each shop Of Chair
man" These chairmen, who are, of
course, union men, because the shops
are firmly organized. elect five dele
gates to meet five representatives
of. the employers in a trade board"
where all questions that arise can
be discussed upon arr equal and DEM
ocratic basis.
Covers Entire Industry.
The new arrangement in the Hart
Schaffner & Marx shops. though at
first regarded by many employees
with great suspicion and skepticism,
worked so we'll that it has now
spread until it covers practically the
entire industry ini America.
In each of the great markets.
Chicago, New York, Rochester, Bal
timore-there are n6w market
boards" in which the organized en-
ployers meet the organized workers
to discuss and settle problems that
concern the wider interests that arise
in the entire market. Last July an
other great step forward was taken;
the employees of the entire country
organized national federation to
|meet upon an equal basis the nation
al union of the workers and to es-
tablish national joint board which
should be in effect government for
the entire trade in America and Can
ada, establishing law and order for
the whole industry. This has just
begun to function.
Now, in the article | have sketched
all too briefly the interesting history
of this new movement. set forth the
principles upon which it is based and