Friday marked a week’s anniversary of the battle begun by the International Tailoring Company to break the Amalgamated Clothing Workers’ Union and establish “open shop” under the scab label of the United Garment Workers. And a lively anniversary it was.
With every one of the 800 strikers standing out solid, the strikers’ spirit is better than ever. The firm thought that about 80 per cent would stay, but not one remained, only about 25 scabs furnished by the scab agency of the United Garment crew are on hand, and not one solitary garment has been made by them. They are too busy thinking how they are going to get back home with a whole skin.
Won’t Fall for “Worth While”
Even the firm’s bluff about joining a “union worth while” cannot fool any garment worker in Chicago. Some of the bosses stay outside the shop—having nothing to do inside —and smile at the strikers, wanting to be “friendly.” They do not get much encouragement from their reception, however. The assistant foremen are asking for a vacation, no work to do, anyhow.
Masses of pickets cover the streets and sidewalks morning, noon and night. Despite the 100 uniform police, bunches of detectives with their machine guns and riot clubs and billies and the private sluggers in droves, the already small number of scabs is being whittled down. The strikers manage to talk with them in one language or another and put forth convincing argument against scabbing.
Scabs Have Gay Time.
Twelve of these smelly United Garment scabs were let out of the back door into the alley, lined up like prisoners surrounded by 15 cops and a squad of sluggers, marched like prisoners out into the street along the gutter of one block, into the alley on the next block and by devious route into the elevated station. There the cops tried to stop the pickets from entering until the scabs were safely flown, but one woman managed to have a chat with one scab, who was so interested that he went away and forgot his hat, which wasn’t worth much except for cow feed, however.
The outside contract firms that used to make many of the firms’ order have shut off doing so, and at the meeting Friday night of shop chairmen, instructions were issued to stop all attempts to get the scabby firms orders made in other shops.
The morale of the strikers is excellent and they are determined to see the fight thru, in spite of all police brutality, there being nine arrests Thursday and many clubbings by the police, one striker being knocked down with the butt end of a gun. Among those arrested were M. Weiss, M. Ziccarelli and Mike Florida.
Have to Fight Class War.
The meetings at Hod Carriers’ Hall maintain the mass morale at fighting pitch. Many officials spoke. Referring to the Fourth of July, one speaker said, “The patriots will tell you about liberty and democracy, but the workers never get any of either unless they fight for It. They will tell you this stuff on Saturday, but when you come down to the shop on Monday you will get slugged and arrested for your share of liberty and democracy.”
General Organizer Grandinatti, just came from St. Louis, told the strikers here of the strike there against the Curlees Company and what the strike meant for the union, and an official of Local 39 pledged that the 12,000 members of that local would stand by the International strikers to the point of going on strike if necessary to aid them.
Up to Chicago Federation.
The strikers are waiting impatiently to see what will be the response of the labor unions of the Chicago Federation of Labor next Sunday to the scabbing agreement of the United Garment Workers crew headed by George C. Slater.
The Daily Worker, Chicago, IL & New York, NY, July 5, 1925