The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-06
.CustomTailOrs
Set to Battle
For Own Code
Industrial Union Goes
to Washington, Hits
Wage Provisions
BY A. HOFFMAN
Manager, Custom Tailoring Work
ers Industrial Union


Tailoring trade was held in Wash
ington. The employers, the Jour-
neymen Tailors Union, the Custom
Tailoring Workers Industrial Union,
proposed a separate code for the
Custom Tailoring trade, while Mr..
Hillman Of the Amalgamated de-
nlanded that the Custom Tailoring
trade be included in the code of
the mems clothing industry. How
ever, in the final analysis the en-
ployers, the representatives of the
Journeymen Tailors Union and Mr..
Hillman of the Amalgamated
fought for one and the same thing,
while the representatives of the
Custom Tailoring Workers Indus
trial Union, who had been repre-
sented by forty delegates, presented
amendments to the proposed code
and fought for such demands that
would actually relieve the Custom
Tailoring Workers from their mis-
cradle conditions Most of the time
Of the hearing was taken up in
debating all kinds of definitions
which were meaningless as far as
the economic conditions of the
workers were concerned.
Workers Average $40 to SIS
Today, six months after the hear
ing, the Custom Tailoring Code has
been finally signed. The Custom
Tailoring trade did receive a sep
arate code and it is interesting to
discuss the labor provisions of the
code. The Custom Tailoring trade
Is a highly skilled one and a highly
seasonal one. 1t takes years of
experience to become custom
tailor. The garments produced by
the custom tailors are sold between
$500 and SITS piece. The workers
average between $40 and SIS q
week. Seventy-f1ve per cent of the
workers work homework, child
labor prevails in the trade because
of homework and in spite of the
highly skilled trade there are hun
dreds of unemployed workers even
in the height of the season.
AS a result of the determined
fight carried out by the Custom
Tailoring Workers in September,
1888, under the leadership of the
Custom Tailoring Workers Indus
trial Union in the form of general
strike, and because of the fact that
this inspired the Custom Tailoring
Workers throughout the United
States and they followed with
strikes in other forms of struggle
In many other cities, the employers
and the Code Authority have for
mulated the code which attempts
to create illusions in the minds of
the workers that certain conces-
sionS are made For instance, in
the Code they state that homework
should be abolished six months
after the signing of the Code. But
this paragraph is followed by so
many provisions that instead of
abolishing homework, homework is
legalized and encouraged.
Code Allows Sunday Work
On the question of hours. the
Code proposes 36 hours week.
However, in the provisions that
ANA1O" OAlCJ ollOW II
day. six days a week and in the
height of the season they allow
even Sunday work (my emphasis,
A. HI. On the question of wages.
the Code proposed 40 cents an hour
minimum and IS cents an hour
maximum, at the time when our
Union had enforced through the
last general strike 81 and more an
hour. We also know from the ex-
periences in other trades that the
minimum provided in the Code be-
comes the maximum. That the
intention of the employers with the
support of the Code Authority is
to enforce 40 cents an hour This
is also the minimum of the mems
clothing workers in the Amalga-
mated and this became the maxi
mum in the Amalgamated for the
majority of the workers in the
| trade.
The representatives of the jour
neymen TaiIors Union accepted
and agreed with the proposed code
which is at present signed. They
have done so because they do not
represent any workers in America.
However, they are used by the en-
| ployers for the sake of their con-
venience.
| The Custom Tailoring Workers