New-York tribune., 1920-01-27
Wage Increase
For Cloak and
Suit Workers
Governors Special Labor
Board Announces Raise
of IL to l8 Per Cent for
10000 Employees Here
Public Expected to Pay
Employers Attorney Says
Agreement to Absorb Ad.
vance is Mere 'Persifiaec'

BY decision of the special labor
board. appointed by Governor Alfred
r. Smith to settle the controversy in
'he cloak and suit industry, the 10000
workers in the trade Yesterday we're
granted increases ranging from ~ to
l8 per cent They had asked for sc
per cent advance.
The boards findings were made pub
lie by tho Governor at the headouar.
ters OF the State Industrial Commits
sion, $50 Fifth Avenue In the pres
ence OF representatives. of both en-
ployers and employees, he said the in
crease was granted with the under
standing that manufacturers and work
ers would cooperate to enable the in
dustry TO absorb it and avoid passing
it on to the public.
There We're indications. however.
that the public would be made to pay.
While counsel for the manufacturers
stated officially that the employers
would abide by the iniunctions of the
board, he later told reporters that the
"unders standing was all persihage and
that the increase certainly would be-
passed on to the consumer"
New Scale Is Retroactive
The new scale of wages is retroactive
three years. The weekly increases
granted arc as follows: Cloak and
dress cutters. 50; skirt cutters, S5;
sample makers, 50; jacket. coat REFER
and dress operators, Sc: skirt opera
tors, Sc; piece talors. So; REFER Jacket
and coat tinishers. $3.50: REFER. jacket
and coat tinishers' helpers. $4 jacket.
coat REFER and dress upper and under
pressers. $3.50; skirt upper prcssers
500; skirt under pressers, SO skirt
basters, s3 skirt tinishers, $3.50
drapers. $3.50; begraders on skirts. 81
girl beeraders. $3.50; cloak bushelers,
SO; bushel men who do pinning mark
ing and general work on garments. s4;
buttonhole makers. 90 cents 3 hundred
buttonholes.
The minimum wages Of the workers,
aa fixed hS tho protocol Of last June.
out of which the controversy grew, ran
from SIS a week for skirt tinishers o
S41 for Jacket. coat REFER and dress
operators. The actual wages. however,
we're far nhovo tho minimum. offering
With the productive ability of the in
iividua.
The board disapprovcd OF all shop
strikes or general or partial Stoppages
o. work such as the manufacturer
E complained of on January .. rncn they
sad crisis in the industry was i'm
lninent because cf wholesale stoppaCos
in violation Of the Juno agrcement
The board also was opposed to any
form Of lockout by the manufacturer.
Seeks to Protect Public
The Governor was emphatic in his
insistence that the boards findings
spect to those features where tnc con
suming public is affected H. sug-
gested that tho increases be absorbed
by tho industry in increased prcduc-
ton on the par: OF the workers. and
doption Of moro careful methods 10
reduce overhead charges on the part
o. tho manufacturer
Meyer London. counsel for the work
Lr,. appeared pleased with tho decision
I'D thanked the Governor in their be-
half
William Klein, attorney for the
Cloak. Suit and Skirt Manufacturers
the increase would mean a great loss
ia the employer. that the cost Of pro
auction had increased 100 per cent
within the last year and that the
workers had been "sodiering" on the
Job. producing only half as much as
they did in the previous year.
"The understanding the Governor
roiers to in the report" he said to re-
porters, "is mere persihage. 1t means
nothing TO us. We have pointed out
before that We are now working on a
4 .
open for inspections on this point at any
time. Tho boost will certainly hc
passed on TO the public OF the entire
industry will 90 pieces"
Future Inspection Provided For
In this connection Mrs. b. l.. Moskc
Hitz, secretary of the special labor
board. pointed to recommendation in
the report providing for a continuous
lnvesti igation of wages and conditions
in the industry by state and Federal
wage and labor agencies. These. she
SAID, VIII make report to the Gov
srnor Of conditions in the trade from
time to time. and any attempt TO pass
the buck TO the public will be speedily
acted upon. Both Sides she said, had
agreed to abide by the decisions of the
board, and the Governor undoubtedly F
would see to it that they we're carried
out.
The report was signed by Edward f.
Royle, chairman of the State Industrial
{ ommission; Charles " Berry, Adju-
ant General Of New York State Hugh .
t raync. general organizer, American
Federation of Labor; |. Feinberg. chair
man Of the joint board Of the Cloak
Makers Union; William n Baldwin.
chairman of the Otis Elevator Com
pany. and Saul Singer, of the executive
board Of the Cloak Suit and Skirt
Acs,c;.t;,,,