Strikes

Three million New York Straphangers hung as usual last week. The subway strike of some 700 "keymen" (motormen and switchmen) had practically failed. Herman A. Metz, one of the three public representatives of the Interborough directorate, refused to recognize the strikers' "outlaw union." The "union" leaders, Herman A. Metz, Harry Bark, Joseph Phelan refused to return on any other basis. Meantime, the I. R. T., bearing in mind the famed Danbury Hatters case, brought suit against the strikers for 239,000 damages ("violation of contract.") Said noted jurist Samuel Untermeyer, "This is a silly and transparent gesture." Manhattan autocrats were smug.

Forty thousand garment workers entered upon the third week of thumb-twiddling. They demand a 40-hour week, a guarantee of 36 weeks' work every year, limitation of the number of jobbers and the registration of contracts with the union. Neither the jobbers nor the union will accept the report of Governor Smith's commission. The impasse is complete.

In spite of the conciliation efforts of the Slavic Committee on Conciliation and the Citizens Committee, Passaic thumb-twiddlers likewise had the day. Textile strikers entered upon their 27th week of strike.