Cornell University ILR School DigitalCommons@ILR The Ladies' Garment Worker, Volume 4 (1913) The Ladies' Garment Worker 11-1-1913 The Ladies' Garment Worker, Volume 4, Issue 11 International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/lgw_vol4 Thank you for downloading an article from DigitalCommons@ILR. Support this valuable resource today! This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the The Ladies' Garment Worker at DigitalCommons@ILR. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Ladies' Garment Worker, Volume 4 (1913) by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@ILR. For more information, please contact [email protected]. If you have a disability and are having trouble accessing information on this website or need materials in an alternate format, contact [email protected] for assistance. The Ladies' Garment Worker, Volume 4, Issue 11 Description First published in April 1910, The Ladies’ Garment Worker was the official publication of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) through 1918. The journal appeared monthly and included sections in English, Italian, and Yiddish. The Ladies’ Garment Worker was discontinued at the end of 1918 and replaced in January of 1919 by the new weekly journal of the ILGWU, Justice. Keywords International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, ILGWU, The Ladies’ Garment Worker, labor unions, clothing workers, textile workers, garment workers, garment industry, New York, United States, English, Italian, Yiddish, Jewish Publisher International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) This book is available at DigitalCommons@ILR: https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/lgw_vol4/11 PL1PSHITZ PRESS. 40 51 LAFAYETTE ST.. N. Y . •..-.. ••.-.-.. .. .... -^.-....--..,..;,„...a. ------— - --""^-- •-—-='—•-- ••• -f'-y--»"i'.Mi!»»i \ymm Ifottoui How from Left to liiuht.- - JOKBF PItArUCK. Auau.ii. AI AltTflU'i'K. Kr.iiir.-. I'l Kl; I; |«; l»l".\IA.s. Kiamr, PAI/IJ MAKKOKAF. Hw Uari IUIMI . li rfTl'IIAIBlC. « In mail) . KMITMKA. Aiifiiila. K K'n>:i;>. n..ti;.n«t. W P. Altl'P. Denmark: Kl'XTSSJS. itermmiy: T. KI.VNN ..mi .1 \v\«;NKi:. Kriui.n. i. .ti »ll\ A hYfHK. Aiii.tl.M / PUBLISHED MONTHLY IN ENGLISH AND YIDDISH Vol. IV NOVEMBER, 1913 No. I My Tour in Europe By JOHN A. DYCHE The Convention in Session1, had fifteen delegates representing 8.000 mem­ On Wednesday morning, July 16th. the Con­ bers, while America was represented by one ference of the International Tailors' Secre­ delegate. Neither could the vote be cast by tariat was called to order by the Secretary. the number of members the delegation repre­ Brothel" Summer, who is the sole official and sented, for this would practically deprive the who was elected President of the Convention. small countries, such as Switzerland, Holland. iiroiher Smtthka of the Austrian Tailors* Un­ Denmark and Servia, with a small member­ ion was elected Vice-President and Delegate ship, of a voice. MnrgrafT of Switzerland was elected keeper 1 here were only two delegates present who <M" the "Speakers' List." Here 1 might men- understood no German. The delegates from ii"ii that the parliamentary rules which gov­ Austria. I lungary. (ierniany, Switzerland, ern the conduct of the meetings anil assem­ Denmark and Servia spoke (icrman Here' I blies in the English-speaking countries, are would like to mention something which wa- unknown on the European Continent, if yon told me by the Servian delegate, namely this: wUh td address the meeting, you must write 1 he Bulgarian Tailors' Union, on several oc­ j'wr name on a slip of paper and pass it on casions, made overtures to unite with the t" the -keeper of the "Speakers List." He Servians, but the Servians declined the pro­ then writes the name on the sheet, which is posal for very peculiar reason*. "As yon are handed to the President, who calls the names aware." he stated, "our Trade Unionists are in rotation. The speaker is not expected to also Socialists. In some countries," he said. confine himself to any particular subject, or "there is a distinction between Trade Union­ -peak to a particular resolution. Everyone ists and Socialists. We do not know of such s "prates on whatever subject he chooses. It i a thing. A member of the Union is generally a member of the party; but ;is Bulgaria is "i'y after the assembly gets tired of speech- very much influenced by Russia and the* Rus­ making that a resolution is brought up on sian Socialist Democrats are divided into two which a vote is taken. 1 noticed this par- hostile parties, the 'Rolslicvniky and Mcnche- icular mode of procedure at our local meet­ vniky,' so the Bulgarian Socialists are divided ings on the East Side. At first I though it into the same camps, only they call themselves ttfa* an invention of the United Hebrew 'I'ernsteiniaiis and Marxists.' The hostility "rades. but at this convention I learned that existing between those two factions goes so t|ii> is the ordinary procedure at meetings on far that whenever the ISerilsteinians call a '' • European Continent. strike in a shop the Markets lake their places I'rum the outset it was agreed that the vole and vice versa." •»M IK- given according to nationalities. It ,l. itot.be by delegates, for the Austrians At first I thought this was a bilge "kihet/" (joke) of some East Side cafe, but after . * r October Issue. watching bis expressions very attentively 1 THE LADIES' GARMENT WORKER became convinced of the truth of Brother and eventually would go back to the •1, Yovan's statement. This is politics in the un­ subject and go over the same ground 1-Mr ions with a vengeance. "We told the Bul­ In vain I tried to call a point to ordrr garian tailors/' proceeded Bro. Yovan, "that requested the chairman to ask the speak,.. -., we will not unite with them until they will speak to the point and to a definite ••: unite amongst themselves." "Just now," he Discussion at random seems to ho the f > >>i\ added, "there are practically few tailors either the European Continent. At first 1 i'«> mm in Servia or Bulgaria, the whole male popu­ out of place, for I could not fit in in i! <• .j,. lation from the age of ifi to 50 is on the evasion, accustomed as 1 am in sp.V. -., ., battlefield." particular subject, and to a definite r . * .,, "Have patience." said the chairman, "v, M'| To resume. Out of the three French dele­ get to what you are aiming at." gates, one, Brother Pierre Dumas, the General Secretary of the Federation de LTndustric The two principal subjects which u.n •- des Travailleurs de L'Habillemcnt de France cussed by the delegates on the lir-i «!.. «-i et des Colonies, understood no German and the Convention were the question of ir : of the other two delegates, one was a Bo­ or traveling cards, and the issuing of m ti< hemian and it seems to me as if all the Bo­ cial journal by the Secretariat. The qn^ti-m hemians speak German. The other French of transfers was rather a difficult and com­ delegate, Marchuck, who has spent the greater plicated one. Here I want to say thai tin- part of his life in Paris among the German transfer problem of the European (r;i!'- 11"- and Russian Jews, understands German and ions is quite different from thai .existing 111 Yiddish, but speaks them with some difficulty. our Organization. In this respect tlio Kiir*- Secretary Flynn, the delegate from the Amal­ pean unions are much more progres>i\c ii ;r: gamated Society of Tailors of England, also our Union. They put no difficulties ai ill in understood no German, while his co-delegate, the way of newcomers. In Europe, tin \nl- Brother Wagner, a Bohemian, understood ors, as well as other unions have all ««l>M»!e<l German. An official interpreter was present a system of complicated benefits. cspivia!\ in who translated all the French and English Germany. There the German tailors 1MM '•< speeches into German. Still, those who did sides strike benefit, also sick, traveling •>«• not understand German found themselves of work, insurance and other benefit*: *• handicapped. that a member has not only trade benefit, '"it his Union is also an insurance socicrv, ami One of the most interesting personalities at the problem which confronted the Conv»n"in» the Convention was the interpreter, Peluso. was, what rules and regulations should '"• an Italian by birth, who studied and obtained adopted, so that the member in traveling frnm his degree at Heidelberg and spent seven years one country to another should not In-.- ihe in the United States traveling from Maine to .benefit he is entitled to and the m«nranec California. He is so well versed in American which he paid for so many years in his I affairs that he made the impression of being ion. It appeared, during the discussion, tint 1 an American. He spent several years in Lon­ Switzerland. Germany and Austria, the ' don and earns a livelihood by writing for the and the benefits are pretty much the same H-n French and German Socialist papers. Occa­ have among themselves an understanding sionally he writes for the New York Call. when a member travels from one countn Through him I learned a good deal about the another, he is treated as an old mcmh< Continental Labor Movement, its ways and is immediately entitled to all benefit*, f-n' methods. in France, Denmark, Holland and otlwi We made short work of Delegate Smith of tries the benefits vary. the Independent Tailors' Union of London.