Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-03
WORK ON THE SCALE.
An Early Start Made at Fixing the
Iron and Steel Workers Wages.
VERY FEW CHANGES TO BE MADE.
Many Mills Compelled to Shut Down Yes
terday for Want of Gas.
MISCELLANEOUS INDUSTRIAL ITEMS

During the present week preliminary work
will be begun on the new Amalgamated As
sociation scale OF wages. The scale now in
force does not expire until July 1, but the
constitution of the organization requires that
the workmen employed in each department,
who desire changes in the scale, must
submit in writing to their lodge the altera-
tions desired, on or before the first meeting
in the month of March. Accordingly, one
or two lodges that met last night had before
them number of desired changes for the
coming year. These were considered and
the action of the lodges will be reported
shortly to the general office for the informa-
tion of the Wage Committee.
This latter committee will not have such
an arduous task this year as in former years.
1t is given out semi-officially that there will
be no material advances asked for next
year. The price per ton on 2-cent card for
boiling is S. so. Last year an attempt was
made to raise the figure to So, but it failed
Since the adoption of the present scale the
iron and steel business has been depressed.
The trade itself has not been respo nsible for
this state of affairs, but rather the financial
stringency.
A Conservative Policy Now in Favor.
Several members of the organization
spoken to yesterday gave it as their opinion
that the association would adopt con-
servative policy this year, and be satisfied
with renewal of the present scale, with a
few minor adjustments to suit later mprove-
ments and appliances, and defer all
demands for advances until another year,
when it is expected that matters will be in
better shape.
The failure of the special scale commit
tee, appointed to consider the proposed
change of the seal: base, to interfere with
that feature of the document, is taken as
another evidence that there will be no in
crease demanded this year. Some of the
workm conceived the idea that they were
losing money on the scale based as it is on
the price of bar iron. They imagined the
manufacturers could so manipulate the
market as to give the men the worst OF
the deal, and they proposed to have it
transferred to either sheet iron, plates or
skelp.
The special scale committee gathered
data on the question and satisfied them
selves that the selling price of bar iron had
not been above 81 So Tor months, and that
the manufacturers could not have much
margin for manipulation. So they con-
cluded not to interfere with the base of the
scale, and as there are but slight indica-
tions of the whole iron trade reylving from
its prostration in time to secure an advance
before July, the men have about concluded
not TO attempt the move.
Mr. Weihe was spoken to yesterday on
the subject, and while he declined to COM
init himself absolutely, his expression indi-
Gated that he knew there would be no change
in the base OF the scale this year. He said
he was not surprised that the lodges had
taken up the matter, but he supposed the
greater portion OF the changes desired would
be confined to very trivial matters.
Regular Routine of the Balloting.
When the departments have sent in their
desired changes each lodge votes on them by
a written ballot and reports to the general
Office in writing. When these alterations
are received at headquarters, which is al
ways about the 1st of April, the matter is
tabulated and sent to the subordinate lodges.
Here the propositions are voted on and the
delegates to the national convention in
structed how to vote.
1t is said the old fight between the rough
ers and catehers and heaters and rollers will
crop out again this year, and will probably
furnish an issue upon which to run the del
egates to the annual convention. The
roughers and catchers still claim to receive
inadequate pay for the amount of work per-
formed. They tried last year to get more
equal division of the pay to heaters and
rollers, but the numbers were against them
in the convention ana they were defeated.
This year they propose to elect representa-
tives who will be friendly TO their
cause. and their demands upon the rollers
and heaters, who pay them, will be re-
newed.
President Weihe is busily engaged these
days trying to locate where the next meet
ing shall be held. The last convention
voted to hold the next session in Allegheny.
1t will likely be held in Turner or Masonic
Halls