The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-07-11
History Of the
|. |. G. W. Fight
on InjunCtiOnS
ReUiew of Bitter Fight
of Garment Workers
BIZ vcroR a zoKAErIe,

by VIZ On ~ LORAi I Id9
Member Chicago Typographical No. 70.
The 1924 strike Of the Chicago In
ternatlonaI Ladies' Garment Workers
Union, for which 4s members Of that
organization have either served or are
serving 10 to so-day jail sentences In
the Cook county jail, was one Of the
most bitter In that Industry.
Union Demands.
The strike followed an Intense or
ganizatlon drive that was carried on
in the garment district and was an at
tempt on the part of the workers to
establish the 4o-hour week, establish
an unemployment insurance fund TO
be paid by the bosses, and retain the
44-hour week wage scale.
Tho thruout the duration Of the
strike the rank and file of the union
at no time wavered In their determi-
nation to organize the dressmakers
100 per cent and to win all of their
demands, the officials of the interna-
tlonal who conducted the strike did.
Grove Strikebreaker.
During this strike the entire force
at the command Of the union-smashings
States Attorney Robert HyCrowe was
used in an attempt to slb the strik-
ers back to work and destroy their
union. Judge Denis f. Sullivan and
Judge Foell were used by the bosses
in an attempt to stop picketing be-
fore the struck garment shops.
The rank and file fought TO prepare
the union for the struggle and de-
manded the reinstatement of expelled
left-wingers. A gesture was made by
the Perlstein-Sigman machine towards
acceding to the demands of the rank
and file.
Despite attempts of the bureaucracy
to shove the left-wingers away, the
left-wingers participated actively In
the strike and aided the union to
carry on its struggle.
Strike Vote.
At a meeting in Shoenhoffen Hall
Monday, February 4, 1924, the union
authorized the Joint Board to call
strike if the bosses refused to grant
the demands of the union The con-
tracts were to expire February 49,
1924. At another meeting strfbr
committee was elected.
Issue UItImatum. -
Sunday, February IL, 1924, the u, ~
committee met and decided tr
the garment shop bosses until NJ
night to reopen negotiations
they had broken or A secret
was also set for the strike. b
February %, strike bulletins wers pre-
pared and the machinery Of the or
ganization prepared for a bitter strug-
gle.
Wednesday morning, February "a,
1924, the date set for the strike, the
garment workers left their shops.
Arrest 10 Plekets.
Thirteen pickets were arrested on
the first day of the strike. The next
morning police and gunner hired by
the bosses were stationed at the en-
frances to every shop.
Two thousand cloakmakers Joined
the girl garment workers in a half
day sympathy strike. The cloakmak-
ers went out so as to protect the girls
from assaults by uniformed and plain.
clothes plug-uglies.
During the strike about 5000 to 400
workers were arrested. Arrests were
made on "disorderly conduct" and
assault" charges.
"Committee OF Fifteen
The assaults of States Attorney
Groves men on the girls led the Chi
cago Federation of Labor at its meet
ing Sunday, March 2, to create COM
mittee to probe the misuse OF public
funds by Grove in his attempt to aid
the garment shop bosses. John Fitz-
patrick, president OF the Chicago Fed
GRAFTON of Labor. appointed the Com
mtttee of Fifteen"
March 2, 1924, two groups of bosses
applied for an injunction prohibiting
picketing OF the struck shops. The
Gracehne Dress Co, Singer and Nj
delman, Inc, Goldrich Frankie Co.
University Frock, Inc, and Elias Mann
we're one OF the groups that applied
Continued on mage "a