32½-HOUR WEEK

Grey River Argus, 20 August 1937, Page 5

32½-HOUR WEEK

TAILORESSES OF NEW YORK. NEW YORK, The shortest work-week in any American industry, and an increase in wages amounting to 7,000,000 dollars a year affecting 35,000 cloakmakers in the metropolitan area of NewYork were won this week by the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union after two months of negotiations and the constant threat of a general strike which would have paralised the markets throughout the country. , , . In the new agreement reached between the Joint Board of the Cloakmakers’ Union and the Employers Association increases of five dollars for week workers, 10 per cent, for piece workers and a rise of five dollars in the basic minimum wage, are provided for, bringing the total wages in the industry to 77,000,000 dollars a year. . The union leaders had originally demanded a thirty-hour week but a compromise was reached with the associations and 321 hours were finally agreed upon without any decrease in wages. Piece workers will have their rates increased to keep them up to the agreed standards. The new working week is effective from June 1, 1939, because the union leaders did not press immediate action since there are 15,000 cloakmakers in other markets who still have agreements running for months. Immediate institution of the shorter working week would have placed the New York manufacturers in a disadvantageous position compared with the rest of the country. It is the desire of the union leaders to equalise standards throughout the industry even at the cost of postponing the introduction of the shorter- hour week.