New-York tribune., 1921-11-13
Unions Prepare
For Garment
Strike Monday
Committees Arc Named to
Direct Walk Out of
100000 il Employers
Insist ON Piece Work
Plea for Delay Denied
Leaders Say the Proposal
of Senators Would Act
in Manufacturers Favor

$4,000 women's garment workers were
completed last night. At a meeting of
the executive committees, numbering
800 men and women and representing +
the twelve New York locals of the In
ternational Ladies' Garment Workers
Union, held in Horton Hall, ITO East
l25th Street, the time to begin the |
strike was set for tomorrow morning,
the exact hour to be fixed to-day, if |
the employers insist on putting their
shops on piece-work basis.
The executive committees elected a !
general committee to direct the strike
and committees to take charge of the
general strike headquarters and of the
headquarters of the locals, commit
tee to handle payments of strike bene-
ut funds and other committees to COM
piete the machinery of the walk-out.
The meeting was addressed by Ben
jamin Schlesinger, president of the
International. He described in detail
the relations of the union with the
Cloak, Suit and Skirt Manufacturers'
protective Association, saying that the
manufacturers had broken first the
three-year agreement that was to ex-
pire June 1, 1929, and the temporary
agreement, entered into on June of
this year after the three-year contract
had been abrogated.
Assails Manufacturers Stand
"Mr. Lefcourt, spokesman for the
manufacturers. says that the three
year agreement was only an expert
ment, Mr.. Schlesinger said. "If it
was, then why was not the experiment
completed and the agreement carried
through until its termination?
Il was notified while in Paris last
spring of the breaking of this agree
ment and when l got to New York, q
temrbrary agreement, to run until
November !, was entered into. On
November / there was to have been a
conference, but in October the manu-
facturers announced that they would
put their shops back on the old, dis
carded piece work basis on November
IA, and the promised conference was
not held"
Mr.. Schlesinger said that while he
approved of the principles of the COM
munication sent to the manufacturers
by the twelve United States Senator's,
asking for a two weeks postponement
of the strike, the unions could not
agree on the time extension suggested.
Two weeks would give the manufactur-
tluiS SAOQEu W ulllSu up I'LL WOTk
on hand, he declared.
cit is much harder for union to de-
fend itself when trade is slack than
during a busy season." he said. "If
the time were extended to two months,
the union would gladly enter into
truce"
Strike Committees to Meet
The strike committees of the locals
will assemble in Beethoven Hall, in
Fifth Street, at a. m. tomorrow.
They will await there reports from
shop chairmen on the actual putting
into effect by the employers of the
piece-work schedules.
OF the twelve local organizations in
the International Ladies' Garment
Workers Union, the largest are the
machine operators, numbering 10000;
the finishers, numbering 5000; the
pressers, 1000; the cutters, 5000, and
the tailors and samplemakers, with
5000 members; The Italian garment
makers are all assembled in one or
work done, and number $1,000
The strike tomorrow, if called, will
affect $500 shops. 1t is not the inten-
tion of the union, however, to tie up
the entire industry if this can be
avoided. Applications have been re-
ceived from employers to continue
work, and these will be granted, on a
week-work basis, if they are not affili-
ated with the manufacturers protective
association.
To Let Independents Operate
There are about 800 factories in the
employers organization. Among the
$500 shops remaining, there are many
which are contractors and sub-contrac-
tors working for the protective asso-
cation's members, and these will be
tied up by the strike. When it is ascer-
tanned what shops belong to or are
affiliated with the protective associa-
tion the independents will be per-
mitted to resume work.
The manufacturers association had
nothing to say on the situation yester-
day, as the committee that went to
Washington on Friday was on its way
back to New York. 1t was said that no
Roadway had been made at the Wash
ington conference with Secretary OF
Labor Davis, but that a report would
be given out when the committee re-
turned.
Henry D. Sayer, State Industrial
Commissioner, yesterday sent q letter
to Louis Lustig, Of the manufacturers.
arranging for meeting at IL o'clock
tomorrow. Mr.. Sayer expressed the
hope that there would be no suspen-
sion OF work because of strike.