The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1921-06-10
Victory for the
AmaIgamated
Cloth Workers

The greatest victory ever secured
by organized labor in the needle
trades was won last week by the
Amalgamated Clothing Workers
when the Clothing Manufacturers
Association of New York, Inc, end
ed the twenty-four weeks lockout
in the mems clothing industry by
signing an agreement with the
union. The terms of the agreement
were ratified by several great mass
meetings OF locked out workers. I'm
der the terms of the agreement the
New York clothing industry will
continue to be operated upon the
union shop basis. over fifty thous-
and workers share in the victory
| which is regarded as a death blow
to the open shop movement in this
industry.
The determining factor in the long
struggle was the inability of the
manufacturers to break the ranks
of the union. Efficient scab labor
could not be secured. Amalgamated
pickets, both men and women, walk
ed the streets for six months begin
ming in the dead of winter. They
were often attacked by armed
guards but persisted in their picket
ing. Even when injunctions against
picketing were secured the strike
breakers did not materialize. L..
desperation the manufacturers at
tempted to open non-union shops 10
Springfield, Syracuse and other Cit
les. The union followed these shops
out of town and they were soon shut
down.
The loyalty of the clothing work
ers has endured the supreme test -
said Sidney Hillman, president Of
the Amalgamated Clothing Workers
recently in commenting upon the
settlement. The manufacturers
chose time of widespread unen-
ployment to conduct a union-smash-
ing campaign. They believed that
the clothing workers who had been
on the streets for many months could
be quickly beaten into submission,
but they reckoned without the Anal
gamated spirit Our people have
come of the sweat shop and they
will not go back. Their victory
should be an incentive to all organ
lied labor in America to fight the
open shop movement"
The cost of the lockout to the
union was approximately $4,000
900. The clothing workers through.
out the United States and Canada
assessed themselves over $780,
900 in support Of the International
Lockout Resistance Fund. This is
the largest amount of money ever
raised by single union for strike
relief in the history of American la.
Dor. In spite of this heavy drain,
the union is financially stronger to-
day than it was when the lockout
began. The union also established
seven retail stores at which it's men,
bers could purchase goods at cost,
with special union currency.
Public sympathy has been with
the union in its struggle because OF
the refusal OF the manufacturers to
submit to an impartial investigation
and because the union accepted the
mediation offer of the New York
State Industrial Commission while
the manufacturers refused. A novel
and distinctly influential factor in
creating support for the unions
position was the Report to the pub
lie" by the impartial chairman of the
market, DIR. William M Leisersor
DIR. Leiserson strongly condemned
the manufacturers for starting the
lockout and declared that they hat
been misled by small group of ir
reconcilables and lawyer agitator