Employers in the cloak and suit industry in New York City are in favor of restoring the piece work system which was abolished eleven years ago. A formal demand to this effect was made this week by Samuel Klein, manager of the Industrial Council of Cloak and Skirt Manufacturers, in a hearing before Raymond V. Ingersoll, impartial chairman of the industry.
The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, which represents the 40,000 employees in the trade, has declared itself as opposed to the restoration of the piece work system, on the ground that it would reopen sweatshops. Benjamin Schlesinger, president of the Union, denied that a majority of the workers are in favor of the piece work system, as he spokesman for the employers claimed.
The employers’ organization has also charged that the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union has “ignored or evaded” fundamental conditions of the contract made in the settlement of the 1929 strike. Mr. Klein alleges that the Union has not carried on its organizing campaign, that it has violated its agreement by permitting dress manufacturers to work under the piece work system, that it has extended preferential treatment to independent manufacturers and that it has not enforced its laws against employing cutters. All of these charges are denied by Mr. Schlesinger, who declares that his union has made every effort to stabilize the cloak industry.
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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.
