New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-22
2,8OO Shops Will Be Shut
Down Tuesday to Probe
onditions in Thou
sands of Contract Plants
Union Explains 1t
Is Not Strike Move
schlesinger Says Employ
ers Must Be Organ.
lied Or Driven Out

"A weeks shutdown of the entire
cloak, suit and skirt industry of New
York, to take census of garment fac
tories and check up working conditions,
has been ordered by the International
Ladies Garment Workers Union. The
shutdown, or stoppagc, as the union
refers to it, will become effective next
Tuesday, the 25th, and terminate Mon
day, the 31st. Approximately $500
shops of all sizes and $4,000 employees
will cease work during the carrying
out of this unique program.
The union declares that it is seek
ing to bring about a sterilization of
the women's garment industry that it
has not been able to gain in any other
way. The movement Is not a strike, it
was explained by Benjamin F. Sches-
niger, the president, nor has it any,
thing to do with the recent Commu-
mist outbursts said to have come from
a comparatively few members. 1t is
for the purpose of putting the industry
on. secure footing, so far, as the
union is concerned, and to enforce the
terms of its agreements.
I,0UV Contract SnOpS
Although there are about 500 manu-
facturers listed as Legitimate" with
the union, in that they manufacture
women's garments and sell them to the
trade, there are, approximately, 1900
establishments which do work on con-
tract, or sub-contract, chiefly for job
bers, over whose shops the union finds
it difficult to maintain supervision as
c 1fynr rly lo1
The stoppage has been agreed to by
these legitimate manufacturers, ESQ Of
whom belong to the Cloak, Suit and
Skirt Manufacturers Protective Asso-
ciation, Mr.. Schlesinger said yester-
day. They will resume on Monday,
July 81. having signed the agreement
ending the big strike of 1921-'22.
In the American Association are
about 700 manufacturers, practically all
OF them contractors and sub-con-
tractors, it was explained. Many of
these already have signed, or stand
ready to sigu, the union agreement and
will resume work on the 31st.
The remaining 1000 shops are run
by contractors, most Of them employ
ing only two, three or four people.
Among these are 500 Social" shops,
where small group of people, often
members of the same family, make
Schlesinger said, the presented
sweatshops, and they must either be
organized on the same basis as other
establishments or go out of business
as separate shops, the members seek
ing employment with shops recognized
by the union
Buy From Outside Dealers
More than thousand other shops
of the contracting and sub-contracting
class are operating, in addition to
many OF those already named outside
OF the legitimate manufacturers, sole
~ for jobbers. The jobbers, Mr..
Schlesinger said, although many of the
biggest ones are known as manufactuf-
ers, do not actually make garments
themselves. They buy them from tho
shops outside the legitimate circle, and
tae1r tn ar business segl oas represents two-thirds
New York. garment trade.
1t was explained at union headouar-
ters IN the new Garment Workers
Building, Fifth Avenue and Sixteenth h
Street, that the union never knew half
Of the jobbers for whom the small
shops worked, the big manufacturers
never would disclose what sub-con
tractors they had working for them.
big jobbers who had never signed a
union agreement were known as manu-
facturers, and the general result was
chaotic, so far as maintaining union
shop conditions for the workers was
concerned.
Under the stabil.zation scheme which
the union will work out next week ali
legitimate manufacturers must regis
ter the shops working for them, con-
tracing shops must name the jobbers
taking their output, and the jobbers
must register the shops they deal with,
and either or both Of them must agree
to maintain union standards; sub-con-
tractors must name the manufacturers
taking their products, to avoid indirect
breaking of the union agreement
through dividing the responsibility in
Yolyed in emploYing the workera