The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-06-06

the struggle, that the strike was oil
legal" was called for political pur-
poses by Communists" and was
"mismanaged," obviously were not
made in good faith.
1 Settlements.
After about six weeks Of the strike,
the workers in some Independent shops
that were ready to settle on union
terms, were returned to work by the
Settlement Committee, which was
headed by Salvatore Ninfo, Chairman,
and David Dubinsky, Secretary, both
of the Right Wing With the ap-
iproval of the General Strike Commit
tee, of which President Sigman was a
member, such shops were gradually
returned to work, till at the end of
twelve weeks of strike, there were be-
tween 1900 and 5000 workers in the
shops who regularly contributed fiji
teen percent and later twenty percent
of their wages to the strike fund. The
Union took special precautions to pre-
vent the settled shops from making
work for jobbers that were struck. so
as to safeguard the strike. Every
shop that was settled signed a supple
mentary agreement that permitted a
representative of the Union to check
over all work made in the shop, in
order that none Of it might be made
for houses against whom there was a
strike.
At the end Of twenty weeks of
struggle, a settlement was effected
with the Industrial Council, or "inside
manufacturers" in conferences at
which President Sigman, Salvatore
Ninfo, David Dubinsky, Morris Hill
quit, Louis Hyman, and others acted
as spokesman for the Union. The new
agreement was signed by Morris Sig
man and Morris Hillquit for the In
ternational and Louis Lyman on be-
half Of the Joint Board.
The settlement was then conceded
by all to have obtained far better
terms than those proposed by the
Governors Commission. The forty
hour week was won; increases in
wages of from four to eight dollars
were won in every craft where the
Commission had recommended in
creases of from two to three dollars:
recognition of examiners which the
Commission had denied was won. Most
important of all, the right of the en-
ployers to reorganize their shops up
to ten per cent was greatly restricted.
The commission had restricted such
reorganization to firms EMPLOYING
thirty-five workers, but the settle
ment further restricted it by the adj
dition of clauses STIMULATING that en-
ployers must also guarantee thirtv-
two weeks of work a year and that
they must pay recompense of an
additional weeks wages to workers
discharged under it's provisions. Thus
an employer could not take on extra
workers he did not need for the last
few weeks in the season so as to
fraudulently claim the privilege of re-
organization, but must employ at
least thirty-five workers for at least
thirty-two weeks before it could be
granted him.
Negotiations with the American
Sub-Manufacturers Association for a
settlement were begun, and the en-
ployers, with the example of the "in
side manufacturers" before them.
seemed to be in a frame to make
concessions. Only one minor point re-
manned in dispute, when suddenly the
negotiations collapsed Subsequent
developments indicated that the right
wing had interfered to further its
own purposes within the union, and
had promised the association better
terms if it would wait longer. The
association declared a lockout, which,
however, was never effective, and
upon this largely imaginary excuse,
Sigman seized control of the strike,
announcing at the same time that it
was lost, that it had been "illegal"
from the beginning, and was the re-
suit Of the destructive work Of the
Communists"