Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 269, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 November 1919 — SENSATIONAL EXPOSURE IS MADE OF CLOTHING UNION. [ARTICLE]

SENSATIONAL EXPOSURE IS MADE OF CLOTHING UNION.

Chicago, Nov. 6.— Charges that agents of the Amalgamated Cloth* ing Workers of America had Obtained more than $500,000 from the clothing manufacturers in Chicago and other cities, led to raids to the local headquarters of the union today by detectives from the state attorney’s office. Books and records of the organization, includfng bank books of the union and individual officials, were seized. « Allegations made to the state’s attorney were to the effect that union agents, for their own profit, called strikes against manufacturers and threatened and coerced them into paying sums ranging from SSOO to $30,000. The latter sum was paid by one manufacturer in three installments of SIO,OOO each, according to information in his possession, Assistant State’s Attorney Michels announced. A strike to enforce a wage increase of $8 a week, a. forty-four hour week and diversion of 25 per cent of profits of manufacturers to the union was reported to have been planned for next month. The union agents are alleged to have I sent sluggers frfm one city to an- | other and some manufacturers actually were put out of business, Mr. Michels declared. Manufacturers in one city- would be prohibited from completing work started by a firm in another city, the prosecutor charged. The union is said to the employes of 90 per cent of Chicago’s clothing manufacturing concerns. Mr. Michels declared that the increased cost of men’s clothing could be traced to the machinations of the alleged extortionists, since Chicago was generally recognized as the center of the industry.