The New York herald., 1921-07-11

WOulu nave taken some steps 10 JOIN the
Amalgamated workers in needle trades
strike. and thus paralyze the clothing
industry throughout the United States.
After that talk" Schlessinger has
| told some of his friends, 81 made up my
mind that the sole object of the forma-
ton of the alliance had been to exploit
the other 250,0 workers in the trade
| for the benefit of the Amalgamated. We
in the International were having our
own troubles with the manufacturers
ard negotiations were proceeding with
difficulty toward a peaceful settlement
or at least temporary adjustment In
the end we effected temporary adjust
ment and we are still having our diff
culties. But We wanted to avoid a
strike, just as much as the manufac-
turers did Surely in these days it Is
more important to preserve peace in an
| industry than to throw it into open war;
fare with not only the employers but
with the very Government of the coun-
try itself, the courts. the peace authori-
ties and the people at large"
Pressure was brought to bear from
several directions to effect an active of
fensive and defensive alliance" which
would have meant a strike by the Inter
national Ladies Garment Workers and
another by the journeymen talors But
the effortssof Hillman. Schlossberg and
their active workers" went for naught
in this direction.
Had 1t not been for the immense size
of the defence fund" raised by the
Amalgamated. eventually reaching So,-
100000. all of which has been spent, ac-
cording TO Hillman's report to the gen.
eral executive committee, the strike
would have ended through voluntary re-
sumption of work just before a little
clique of the more heavily interested
manufacturers decided that they wanted
to make peace and begin making clothes
again. The Amalgamated leaders were
at their wits ends how to prolong the
struggle at the very time that these
larger manufacturers. disappointed in
the slow moving processes of the courts,
decided to accept the advances of an
intermediary They met and talked with
Hfllman and .Schlossberg. who still kept
stiff upper lip. though they feared the
outcome of the coming fortnight, and the
bosses" gave in. The leader os these
manufacturers, man who employs
thousands of clothing workers yearly
and does a business Of almost $40 900 900
year, has just learned that he was
picked for a soft mark" and to use an
expression attributed to one of the Anal
gamated leaders. "fell like a sucker"
The settlement, which was negotiated
month ago. already has given rise to
more trouble than the strike. Decisions
by the impartial chairman have been
almost uniformly against the employers,
ever though directly contrary to the
terms of the settlement several of which
the Amalgamated leaders would not put
in writing. The manufacturers who
agreed to the settlement to-day find
themselves more than ever in the grip OF
fha in 70 e
their business goes. They have not
found any reduction in costs, as prom
ised but on the contrary, an increase In
costs of labor which will inevitably, they
say. be reflected in the cost of mems
clothing next fall
Those who did not agree to the set
tlement, on the other hand find their
troubles in maintaining open shop con-
ditions almost as bad as at the height
Of the strike. as II is practically impos-
sible to obtain efficient redress through
the courts against acts of violence even
where injunctions have been issued
against the Amalgamated
That the Needle Trades Alliance is
dead needs no better assurance than the
words of the Amalgamated officers
themselves. for Secretary-Tre asurer-
Editor Schlossberg in a recent issue of
the unions private organ. The Advance,
wrote:
mo meeting of the Alliance has been
held since its formation. in spite of the
great struggle of the A. c. W.. which
was surely a favorable opportunity for
activity on the part Of the Alliance
The Amalgamated cannot help taking
cognizance Of the fact that the Alliance
is non-existent"
President Hillman drew attention to
this situation at the meeting of the Gem
eral Executive Committee In Montreal
last month and ii was used by Schloss-
berg and others as n deciding factor in
the argument that led to the resolution
to raise a S5.000.0 900 national defence
frnd" for next year. The $40 assessment
for the current year on every worker
has already been put into effect insuring
the raising OF s3.60o.O0o by the end of
1921.
President Schlessinger OF the Inter
national offers no explanation for the
action OF two OF that unions delegates
in voting against Samuel Gompers at
the a. F. of l.. election, except to say
that they were free to exercise their
own judgment But Hillman and Schloss-
berg, commenting on the fact. are said
to point TO II as a sign of disruption
In the ranks fthe International Ladies'
Garment Workers Union. due to the fail
ure OF its leaders to enter vigorously
into the Amalgamated's fight for the
triumph OF the class conscious workers
over the capitalists" which, as Schloss-
berg has saids Will lead to the advent
or the new social order" and the $50
clalizatton OF all means of production"