New-York tribune., 1921-11-17
Garment Strike
Voted by 5000
nPhiladelphia
Piecework Battle Spreads;
1000 Out in Montreal,
: ChicagoV citing and Boston
Union Ready for Action
ManyHereWin and Return
Manufacturers Hesitate on
Mediation Offer; State
Board Calls Conference

Womens garment workers in Phila-
delphia voted 5000 strong yesterday
to go on strike November 21. The rea
sons there are the same tha. cansed
the record walk-out in New York-the
posting of notices in the factories and
shops by the Women's Garment Manu-
facturers' Association that the piece
work system would be re-cstablished.
With approximately 10000 in New
York, there will be more than $4,000
garment workers out next Monday. At
the end of the month, if the referen-
dunn that began to-day affirms it. an
additional 5000 will leave the Chicago
shops.
Notifies Philadelphia Shops
President Benjamin Schlesinger. of
the international Ladies' Garment
Workers Union. yesterday sent a let
ter to the Philadelphia manufacturers
informing them of the result of the
strike vote. He said:
"Your demand for the re-establsh-
ment of piecework in your shops on
November 21 was submitted to a. vote
of our Philadelphia membership. The
workers voted almost unanimously to
strike on November 81, the day set
for the installation of your piece work
system. In this defensive fight the
Philadelphia cloakmakers will be
backed by the entire membership of
our international union
"The rehabilitation of the piece-work
system would mean total breakdown
of all labor standards which have been
established in the industry in the
course of many years Of hard and per-
sistent effort, with the assistance OF
many public agencies and some of the
best minds of the country. The
workers in the cloak industry of
Philadelphia cannot accept them un-
less they are ready to return to the
condition of unregulated exploitation
cloak industry of the United States
in the dark days of the sweatshop sys-
tenn"
1000 Out in Montreal
In Montreal 1000 cloakmake are
on strike. There will be walkout in
Boston, it was said, if the weekly wage
system is abandoned.
From 1000 to 1900 workers whose
employers have settled with the union
returned to work with a band yester-
day afternoon. They marched through
Fourteenth Street and Union Square
and then uptown to the Thirties, where
their shops are located.
They bore banners announcing that
their bosses had abandoned the piece
work idea, and suggesting that others
do likewise.
Regarding the action of the American
Cloak and Suit Association, including
900 shops not members of the Manu-
facturers' Protective Association, and
which announced it's intention of call
ing conference of all concerned soon,
there was a divergence of views yes
terday. While the union is willing to
treat with it, the Protective Associa-
tion did not seem SO inclined.
Union Welcomes Efforts
President Schlesinger said that the
unions welcomed all efforts to bring
about resumption of work. He add
ed, however, that the association did
not represent an independent element
The large manufacturers have the bulk
of their work done by contractors. and
the American Association consists al
most entirely of this class. Members
of the American Association, he said,
willing to abide by their agreements