Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1892-07-09
What NIr. Erick SAYS.

In an interview in Pittsburg on
Thursday Mr. Fl. C. Frick, chairman of
the Carnegie Steel Company, Limited,
said:
''The question at issue is a very grave
one. 1t is whether the Carnegie COM
pany or the Amalgamated Association
shall have absolute control of our plant.
We have decided, after numerous fruit
less conferences with the Amalgamated
officials in the attempt to amicably ad-
just the existing difficulties, to operate
the plant ourselves. / can say with the
greatest emphasis that under no circum-
stances will we have any further deal
ings with the Amalgamated Association
as an organization"
"What was the basis of the differ
ences existing at present between the
Carnegie company and their men, Mr..
Fricll -
There were three points upon which
we differed. The skilled workmen in
the Amalgamated Association work I'M
der what is known as q sliding scale.
As the price of steel advances the earn
ings of the men advance as the prices
fall their earnings decrease in proper
ton. While there is no limit to an adj
vance of earnings OH the scale there is
point at which the decline stops. 1t
is known as the minimum, and the fig
ure heretofore has been S25 per ton for
four by four Bessemer billet. We be-
lieve that if earnings, based on
tho selling price Of steel, can
advance without limit the workmen
should be willing to follow the selling
price down to q reasonable minimum,
and so this figure was finally fixed by
the Carnegie company at the rate of
S23 instead of $25. The reason for ask
ing this upon our part was that the
Carnegie company had spent large
sums of money in the introduction of
new machinery in its Homestead plant,
by means of which the workmen were
enabled to increase the daily onput,
thereby increasing the amount of their
own earnings. We had originally ask
ed reduction of 800, but subsequently
agreed to compromise at the rate of
$23. The Amalgamated Association
WIS ltllN illIts5 W SoiisiuSl lSuuIliOh W
low $24 on steel billets, notwithstand-
ing the fact that the improved machine
ry would enable their members, even
at 500, to earn more than is paid III
other Amalgamated mills. This was
the first point at issue. Under the
present Amalgamated system the date
Of the expiration of the sliding scale is
June Goth annually, We asked that
this date be changed to December 31st
0he same as the Edgar Thomson
Works. for the reason that the change
would permit us to take our
estimate upon the wages that we
must pay during the year, begin
ming on January lst, so that we would
be enabled to make contracts for
the year accordingly. This point the
Amalgamated Association refused to ac-
cecd and demanded the old date. The
third proposition was the reduction in
tonnage rates in those departments in
the mill where the improvements
have spoken of have been made, and
which enable the workingmen to in
crease the output and consequently
their earnings. Where no such i'm
provements had been made there was
no request upon our part for a reduc-
ton in tonnage rates. In other words,
we asked no reduction in any depart
ment at which the output had not been
greatly increased by reason Of our ex-
pensivc improvements since the scale of
1889 went into effect. We are prepared
to show that in nearly every depart
ment under our proposed reduction in
the tonnage rates the skilled workmen
would make more money than they did
when the scale of 1889 went into effect.
As rule the men who were making
the largest wages in the Homestead mill
were the ones who most bitterly de-
nounced the proposed revision of the
scale, for out of the $500 men employ
ed in every department, only 325 were
directly affected by this reduction.
Finding that it was impossible to ar
rive at any agreement with the Amalga-
mated officials we decided to close our
works at Homestead.