New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-05-04
10000 Textile
Workers Strike
AT New Bedford
Aim to Close ALI Mills
i'll New England; Big
Increases and the Eight
Hour Day Are Demanded
Firemen May Join Move
American Wooden Company
Next Objective of Men;
Many Plants Are Crippled
Special Dispatch to The Tribune

NEW BEDFORD, Mass, May s.
Twenty thousand textile workers went
on strike here to-day for higher wages
and to enforce other demands. The
strike call was intended to close all
textile plants in New England. The
eyes of the textile world tonight are
on the big plant of the American Wool
en- Company at Lawrence, where it is
expected the next blow will be struck.
In New Bedford the strikers tonight
said they were confident of adding
many more to their number tomorrow
The strike closed two plants entirely,
while almost all Of the weave depart
ments we're closed up or sadly handi-
capped at thirty other plants.
There are sixty-three mills in the city.
The plants which closed tonight are
operated by the Grinnell Manufacture
ing Company and Pierce Brothers, Ltd.
The mills affected by the walk out
operate slightly more than fifty thou
sand looms and almost two million
spindles.
The strike was launched to force the
demands of the Amalgamated Textile
Workers of America for SO per cent
increase and of the United Textile
Workers of America for a 171s per
cent wage increase. The two organiza-
tions comprise most of the organized
textile workers in New England. In
addition to the increased wages, the
union demand an eight hour day, time
and one-half for overtime and mini
mum ge schedules varying from $40
a week tor men in third class plants
TO $50 il first class plants.
tyemen May Walk Out
The strike affects eighteen corpora
tions: Booth Manufacturing Co., oper-
ating two mills; Bristol Manufacture
ing Company, one; Acushnet Mills,
two; Butler Mill, one; Dartmouth
Manufacturing Corporation, three;
Gosnold Mill Company, two: Grinnell
Manufacturing Company, two; Hath
away Manufacturing Company, two;
Neild Manufacturing Company, two;
New Bedford Mills Company. one;
Page Manufacturing Company, one;
Pierce Manufacturing Company, three;
Pierce Bros, Ltd. two; Potomska
Mills, two; Soule Mills, one; Wam
sutta Mills, three and Whitman Mills,
two.
The manufacturers, following a con-
ference this afternoon, stated they
were satisfied the operatives wanted to
work and that the mills would continue
to remain open. Mill firemen were SAID
to be operating their boilers only to
provide the necessary amount OF steam
that the fire underwriters regulations
call for, and that in the event of more
than this amount being required they
would leave their posts.
Only three cloth mills were operating
in New Bedford to-day, these being
the Passaic Mills and Nashawena and
Beacon Manufacturing Company plants,
where notices to which objections had
been taken by the loom tixers had not
been posted. =,
President Abraham .Binns, of the
Textile Council said the adding OF a
loom fixer in one of the mills would
have stopped all the trouble. There
have been no disorders reported, the
pickets being kept on The move by
the large squads of police stationed
outside all the mills.
Ready for Long Struggle
The strikers are determined. ana
their unions are said to be in imam
cia! position to wage a long struggle.
The strikers to-day paid little heed TO
the report that as the slack season IN
fcr~tI-".a th---N