The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-06-19
jailed for Defying the Injunction
BY Thurber Lewis

time this appears in print their num-
bers will be swelled to A. They are
garment workers, mostly women.
They are there because they violated
an injunction two years ago.
The injunction was issued by Judge
Denis Sullivan Of the superior court
OF Chicago. He had long history
of anti-labor decisions to his credit
before the strike OF April, 1924, for
activity in which the A members of
the International Ladies' Garment
Workers Union now sit in Jail. He
is still on the bench. In the neal
time he has more than vindicated his
sobriquet Of injunction Car Suni-
van"
On February 9th, 1924, 5000 ladies'
garment workers went on strike.
They walked out of the hundreds of
dress shops in the Chicago loop"
district determined to organize the
trade 100 per cent and set forth de-
mmds for an increase in wages and
a shortening of the working week.
On the very first day Of the strike
10 workers were arrested on the
picket line that had been thrown
around the shops in the clothing mar
ket. Almost every day during the
more than two months the strike
lasted, these arrests continued.
TN the beginning, the police, assisted
L by several hundred hired gansters
merely contented themselves with
booking their hundreds of prisoners
on "disorderly conduct" or disturb
ing the peace charges" But to no
avail. The dressmakers' manufactur-
ers association then appealed to the
Illinois Employers Association, the
Chicago Employers Association and
the "Citizen's Committee for the En-
forcement of the Lands Award" for
help. They got it.
An attorney by the name OF Dud-
ley Taylor, counsel for all three of
the above organizations, called upon
his friend, Judge Denis Sullivan, early
in March to see if something more
drastic couldn't be done to break the
spirit of the strikers.
It was done. On March 9Th Judge
Sullivan granted Taylor, appearing
for the dressmakers, an Injunction
that not only forbid picketing but
prohibited the strikers from so much
as talking to the few scabs that were
working or the scab's FAMILIES!
CTATE'S Attorney Robert. e. Grove
~ did his little bit for the poor lit
tie manufacturers by turning over his
special police force in plain clothes
for their service. The above men
toned employers" organization also
contributed funds to help defray the
costly expense of hired sluggers.
The strikers defied the injunction.
For a time the police were little
Ieary of it's legal ability to stand a
test and didn't enforce it. They tried
beating up the men and women on the
picket line. But the more they beat
the firmer the lines became. Work
ers from the trades joined the pick
eters. College students came from
the University to help out. The Chi
cago Federation Of Labor appointed
a committee of is to support the strik
ers.
So they had to use the injunction
anyway. In tens and twenties the
pickets were brought before the
GEAR" The attorney for the work
ers didn't have a chance. Sullivan
curled his lip and dealt out the sen
fences. Some were fines: 800. $500
$500. Others got sentences ranging
from 10 to 80 days, some with fines
All by reason of the autocratic power
of Sullivan's black robe-for holding
in contempt the usurpations OF 9
lackey Of the bosses.
MAYOR DEvER, States Attorney