Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-11
A VERY LARGE JOKE.
That is What the WOrkmen
Call Homestead's Scale.
WILL NOT CONSIDER 1T.
The Regular AmaIgamuted Scale Will be
Presented, and, if il is Not Accepted
July i, There Will be a strtke-Progress
ofCouvenrion Work-Other Labor News.

The limit of time for the signing of the slid
ing wage scale by their employees at Homestead
allowed by Carnegie, Phipps & Co.. has beer
again extended, from June 10 until July l. Thi:
is considered another evidence of weakness by
the men, who now maintain that the next thing
TO be done will be the withdrawal of the scale
altogether.
At the convention of the Amalgamated Asso
clatlon yesterday the following notice was read
by the Homestead delegates:
Referring to the notice dated May IS, If it be
your desire to remain in our employ at the Home
t1eaa @ steel works after July please sign ana re-
ment herein contained -
The notices were signed by Carnegie, Phipps
d Co. w. L Abbott, Chairman. and had been
left at the homes of the workingm en- in Home
stead yesterday morning. They were dls-
Tr1buteo by two news agents in the town. VINO
have made many enemies among the men by
their actions The latter say they Will WIN
draw their patronage from the men, and unless
other news agents are employed the news
papers will be the sufferers
Trying TO Influence Families.
The fact of the notices of agreement which
were inclosed in a stamped envelope addressed
to the firm. being left at the houses of the men,
is taken by the employees to mean that an at
tempt was made to lay the matter before the
wives and families of the men and have them
use their influence to obtain signatures to the
agreement. If such was the case the men for
whom they were intended said the scheme did
not work The women are more emphatic than
the men in their protestations against the scale.
A case of one woman was related yesterday.
She was the wife of puddler and had made ar
rangements to take a Western trip to visit her
relatives. She had outlined an expenditure OF
several hundred dollars for clothes but when
she heard the news that the firm proposed are
duction, she advised her husband to strike
against it. Instead of buying herself some new
clothing she paid one years rent in advance
and began to economic in view of the strike.
What TO Do With the Notices.
When the notices were received yesterday
morning, a number of suggestions were made
as to the disposition of them. 1t was stated
that none of the notices would be signed by
the men and most of them were torn up and
thrown into the street. One man wanted
them (about 1000 in number) to be placed in a
large box and a bonfire made of them. The
man further suggested that parade headed
by a brass band precede the procession.
As body, the Amalgamated association
think the scale to be such a large joke that
they refuse to take any action on 1t whatever.
They will present their scale to the firm the
same day as it is given to the other manufac-
turers and leave them to peruse and dispose of
it as they see fit. If the scale is not signed by
midnight June 80, the men will quit work and
the mill be thrown idle. The employees claim
there is so much money In the Amalgamated
treasury that they can afford to be idle for 3
year. If the firm can stand this, the employees
Bay Ludb lilt1 dE6 ISstug W Ny SOuplS VI
rounds with them.
All Glasses of Labor.
A feature that has been developed since the
firm first announced the reduction is that every
class of labor in the mills has been taken into
the association, with the exception of common
1aborers and bricklayers This will strengthen
the organization in the mills, which gave en-
ployment last month to ,9H men.
At the convention yesterday an application
was received from the nut workers of the city
TO be allowed to organize under charter from
the association. A resolution was adopted
protesting against the action of Chief Robert
C., Elliott and Assistant Superintendent Roger
O'Mara- While the Amalgamated Associa-
zion was passing down Fifth avenue on Sat
urday morning the two officials urged Fifth
Avenue Traction Company's gripman to break
the procession.
President Weihe named Reese w. Prosser
as their representative to the Paris Exposition.
The convention then nominated the President,
with Mr.. Prosser as first alternate The after
noon was wholly taken up with committee
work. The friends of Stephen Madden are
quietly hustling for votes for his election to
the office of Secretary. Secretary Martin will
probably be elected President, vice William
Weihe. who will refuse to again be candi-
date. The convention will not adjourn before
the middle of next week.