The New York herald., 1920-01-02
Employers Say Greed of Union
Workers May Put As, 900
Out of Work.

Merchant manufacturers in the cloak.
suit and skirt industry. numbering ap-
proximately four hundred shop owners,
industry is imminent unless the union
workers live up to mutual contract ard
agreement signed on June ! of last year.
The contract advocated by the unions
and agreed to by the manufacturing own
ers reduced the number of working hours.
OF pay on weekly system as against piece
work
Officials Of the Cloak. Suit and Skirt
Manufacturers Association said that this
contract. which prevented strikes or walk
outs for period of three years, had not
at the present time forty-two shops are
on strike.
The officials declared they were endeav-
oring to make il plain TO the public that
the high cost Of clothing is directly due
to the demands of the union workers.
They said the average wage for operators
in the industry is $40 weekly. Finishers
earn $50 and any number of women who
averaging from s35 to si5 week.
The working week consists OF only forty
four hours
The manufacturers openly asserted that
IL they are forced to grant another wage
increase II will come from the pockets of
the purchasers, who will be forced TO pay
the added revenue to workers who have
received Increases more than commensu-
rate with the increased cost of living.
against Public Policy"
The Association took the stand that In
the present state of public mind and IN
conformity with the avowed purpose OF
the government TO lower the cost of living
II Is n moral obligation of the Associa tior
to cooperate. to this end and in public
interest TO prevent as far as possible, un-
justified increases in prices, especially as
labor I'm the industry Is receiving remuner-
alton in keeping with the highest salaries
paid In the country.
The Associations statement said In part
Notwithstanding the desire of the cloaF
and suit industry to have peace, the unior
with which II has been dealing has started
series of strikes which threaten the in
tegrity of the contracts made just SIS
months ago and which threaten to assume
grave consequences in the POSSIBILITY o.
| forcing idleness upon 5000 workers IN tn'
industry.
I'm June, 1912 n new form OF cohtrac'
was agreed upon between the union ano
the Cloak and suit Manufacturers FRO
tective Association. which was epoch'
making. BY virtue of this agreement tn'
system of manufacture Of cloaks ana suit'
was changed from a piece work or nag
Cling system to a week work. or oefinit'
system Workers hours were forty-nine
but by this agreement they we're rcouce'
to forty-four hours week. A minimum
wage was set which granted fair hvin'
TO the slowest worker, and under tn
agreement efficiency was rewarded b'
higher wages. AZ the present time oper
ators in the industry receive upward
S75 n week. finshers $50 and women IRE
quently earn from s35 to s45 week.
1--WE direct attention to the fact tina
many people in other walks of life do no
enjoy such large salaries and IL is no idi
boast that We make when we state ina
New York state statisticians hold that IN
employees In the cloak and suit industr'
are the highest paid employees In the state
AT the time the contract was MADE
bearing IN mind oil the conditions tha
would happen In the future, substantia
increase was made TO our workers base
upon the then earnings. and II was hope
that We would~have peace for thre
years
! "Innufncturins Cost TrebIed.'
During tho iast season. or hardly wa
the Ink dry on tho contract, when, not
! withstanding the very substantial IN
creases granted, the unions kept demand
Ing Increase upon increase, which the IN
dividual manufacturers werS forced
\ grant under tho pain Of strike. as re
suit OF which the even then biEh price