New-York tribune., 1921-11-22
Labor Pledges
United Support
I'm Milk Strike
Federation Treasurer Tells
1000 at Rally Trouble
Here Is Only Part Of Ma
tion-Wide Union Fight
Leaders Meet Copeland
Outside Influence Charged:
Men Insist They Are Ready
to Stay Out All Winter

A new element was added to the milk
workers strike yesterday, when it be-
csmc definitely known that the strikers
have the full support OF the Interns-
ticnal Brotherhood Of Transfers and
the American Federation Of Labor with
which the Milk Drivers Union is stal.
lated.
rms support. concerning which SOM
doubt had been raised, WAS pledged to
the union during the afternoon in Pros
pect Hall, Brooklyn, where some 1000
strikers of that borough held "strike
rally and, amid cheers and hornblow-
ing, voted unanimously to "remain out
all winter. if necessary" rather than
return to work under open shop CON-
ditions.
immediately after the meeting. which
was called largely "to show the public
ana the distributors that the morale
o. the strikers remains unbroken."
George w. Briggs, the leader oe the
strike, called with other union officials
at the office of Dr. Royal S. Copeland,
Health Commissioner, for conference
arranged by the latter.
Meeting Is Secret
1hls was secret. Later Commissioner
Copeland said that it had been held to
inform the union heads that the dis
tributors, in response to a letter sent
by him to them on Friday, containing
another tender of his offices in an ef-
fort to arrange settlement, had once
more refused TO deal with the union
and had reiterated the stand that the
rot f0 orb ind al
~ Asked whether there was liaeli-
hood of sequel of Importance de-
veloplng from the conference, Briggs
replied that he couldn't say"
A statement issued by /. Elkin
Nathans. secretary Of the New York
Milk Conference Board, claimed that
the distributors affected by the strike
are handling more than 85 per cent of
their normal volume Of milk. This
DR.. Copeland, which were that these
distributors are handling only about
16 per cent of their retail business
daily. He told the Commissioner that
while New York City is getting from
40 TO so per cent of its normal supply
of milk each day, the bulk is being
handled by companies operating under
the union agreement
Pledge of national organized labor
support to the strike was given by
Daniel ]. Tobin, treasurer of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor and president
OF the international Brotherhood of
Teamsters, in addressing the strikers
at the Brooklyn meeting. In the course
of his address he made some of the
most emphatic statements which thus
far have appeared in connection with
the controversy.
Formed Nationwide Fight
"This strike" he said. "s only part
of q nationwide Hxht which is being
made by employers to establish the
open shop and crush the unions. 1t is
life and death struggle, with the sur
yival OF the unions at stake. am
confident that were it not for outside
Influences it could he settled within
twenty -four hours.
at is not the plant super rintendents
nor even the company presidents that
are your real opponents in this fight.
for they are employees just rs you
have been. 1t is the powerful boards
of directors, backed by the banking in
terests. They are you real enemies.
ITO discredit you in the eyes Of the
public they call you radicals Who is
the real radical in the United States
to-day? He is the millionsire who,
living in luxury and ponp and pride,
refuses to enter into negotiations for
honorable wage settlements with the
workers.
II have travelled considerably and
have met some pretty radical men, in
cluding the leaders of revolutions in
South America, but in all my expert
ence ] have never met two worse rad
icals than DR.. Eliot, Of Harvard, and
Mr.. Gary"
In speech just before this Strike
Chairman Briggs termed "lies" numer-
Gus statements made by the Milk Con
ference Board officials; said there have
the union ranks, and declared that 1--WE
are going to have somebody signed up
by the end Of the week or know the
reason why
Men Pledge Support
Glow many Of you are determined
TO stick on this strike until it is won 2"
he asked.
Every man in the hall stood up. After
they had resumed their seats he asked:
SIS there single man here who
wants to quit this strike now!"
Not man arose. The demonstra-
ton was greeted with cheers, stamping
and footing Of horns.
Other speakers at the meeting were
Miss Anna E. Monteforte, who said
she would drop dead if necessary TO
help win the fight, regardless of the
Mayor, DR.. Copeland and the Police
Department. and John Fenton, former
ly president of the Massachusetts Fed.
Grafton Of Labor.
This morning Strike Chairman
Briggs, Miss Monteforte and other Of
the union heads will place their
charges of police brutality before the
Mayor. The meeting developments
prevented this yesterday.