For “outstanding citizenship and worthy achievement”Abe J. Greene,city editor of the PatersonEvening News,,who was resposible for bringing to an amicable conclusion one of the worst silk strikes in teh history of Paterson,was acclaimed Paterson’s outstanding citizen for 1933.Mr. Greene will be awarded a gold medal by the Veteran’s Service club and will have his name inscribed on the loving cup in the City Hall.
The silk industry,from which most of the 22,000 Jews in Paterson draw rocked by a fourteen week strike last summer.Clashes were almost a daily occurrence between labor and employees.A committee appointed by the mayor failed to establish peace.Finally,exasperated by the duration of the strike and by the critical point it had reached in its hardships on the employees,the News ran a double column box in its front page requesting immediate action and recognition of the union,which was the crucial issue in the strike.
The following morning a meeting was called and Mr. Greene was asked to take its chairmanship,the mayor being out of town.Sessions lasted all night.Clashes were bitter.Fights were imminent.
Finally,after placating employer and employee,and with the backing of many social service clubs,Abe J.Greene finally was able to bring from the conferences a plan which ended the strike and brought forth an industrial control board which was to handle all difficulties between both sides.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
