An intensive campaign to organize the tailors in the men's clothing industry began all over the country after the great general strike in Chicago in 1910-1911. The campaign opened in New York with such great enthusiasm and willingness to sacrifice that the officials of the United Garment Workers were compelled to take this into consideration, so they took over the leadership of the organizational campaign. The general strike in New York, which was very similar to the general strike in Chicago of 1910-1911, broke out in December, 1914. The demands of the workers at that time were for a forty-eight hour week and a raise in wages. The officials of the United Garment Workers negotiated a settlement in January, which brought increase in wages but no reduction in the hours of work. The great mass of the strikers refused even to consider this "settlement" and continued to strike. At the end of February, the officials of the United Garment Workers made another settlement, against the desire of the strikers, calling for a one dollar a week 2raise in wages and no reduction in working hours. The great mass of the tens of thousands of strikers then rebelled against their traitorous leaders and refused to accept the settlement.

The New York Forward played a shameful role in that fight; it took the side of the traitors against the strikers. The strikers were so greatly incensed against the Forward that when the strike ended, they attacked the Forward building, broke the windows and threatened to attack the editor and the staff who, luckily, escaped from the wrath of the workers. This story about the Forward is related in a book which the Amalgamated has issued in honor of the convention now taking place in Chicago, and which is being distributed to the delegates to the convention. The reader will find the story on page seventy-seven.

The strikers, themselves, then took over the leadership of the strike, which ended, in the month of March, in a victory for the strikers, who won many improvements in their working conditions.

This struggle sharpened the hostile relationship between the majority of the men's tailors and the leaders of the United Garment Workers, who could not and did not want to work in harmony with the revolutionary fighting spirit of the Jewish workers. These reactionary leaders began to be seriously afraid of the revolutionary spirit of the masses at the time the convention of the United Garment Workers was scheduled to open. They, therefore, tried in every possible way to make the workers helpless. Toward that end, they designated Nashville, Tennessee, as the convention city, knowing that it was too far away for most of the delegates from the western and eastern states. The progressive locals protested against this scheme, and when their protests proved of no avail, they drained their treasury in order to send delegates there. The officials of the United Garment Workers, who were afraid of losing their power, did not lose courage but used a new strategy; by various, dubious, and criminal ways, they voided the credentials of many delegates. Only one hundred and ninety-eight delegates were recognized as having the proper credentials out of three hundred and five delegates present when the convention opened in Nashville.

However, the delegates whose credentials were voided did not surrender so easily,but began a bitter fight against their traitorous leaders. Frank Rosenbloom, a delegate from Chicago, played an important part in that fight. Rosenbloom made a motion that President Rickert, who was chairman, should leave the chair and that Hyman Schneid of Chicago should take his place. Chairman Rickert ignored his motion and Rosenbloom appealed against the "chair". In a fiery speech he accused the president and other officials of violating the constitution and of committing other crimes. Delegate Sam Rissman then brought up Rosenbloom's motion again and he, himself, put the motion through. He, himself, counted the votes and then declared the motion was legally adopted.

Then most of the delegates left the convention, marched to another hall where they held a new convention. Thus the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union was born.

On October fourteenth, the convention elected officials. Sidney Hillman of local thirty-nine, Chicago, was elected president. Joseph Schlossberg of local one 5hundred thirty-five, New York, was elected general secretary-treasurer. Rosenbloom, Marimpietra, Rabkin, and Shenfield were elected as a General Executive Board.

The new officials enthusiastically began to organize the industry immediately after the convention. In 1915 they led the great general strike in Chicago which ended with the conclusion of a peace agreement with Hart, Schaffner and Marx. Later they negotiated contracts with all the great firms in Chicago. The Amalgamated now controls the whole men's clothing industry and numbers in its ranks about two hundred thousand members, for whom it has won the best wages and working conditions in the country. The Amalgamated is now considered one of the strongest and most progressive labor organizations in the world.