Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-31
STEEL MEN ON STRIKE.
Shoenberger & Co. Continue Work
With Nor. Union Labor.
TROUBLE OVER THE NEW SCALE.
4 Member of the Firm Explains Their Side
Of the Case.
LITTLE CHANGE AT THE UNION MILLS

Another strike, but one that dwindlet
into insignifcance in an hour, occurred yes.
terday at Shoenberger & Co.'S Sixteenth
street mill. 1t was the result of differences
existing between the Amalgamated Asso-
citation and the firm since February last.
At that time the men were notified that
owing to the declining prices Of steel and
the likelihood of their continuance there
must be decided reduction in the wages
of the workers before the renewal of con-
tracts. The men offered no objections at the
time. The greater number were old en-
ployes. The majority of them were, accord
ing to prominent official of the company,
children of the concern.
When the mills shut down on July the
men looked forward to an early settlement
of their differences, as their employers had
in every instance treated them with the
greatest consideration. This is the ex-
preston of one of the strikers as he gave it
to DISPATCH representative.
Didn't Expect ANY Trouble.
The reduction was so little, according to
the officials of the firm, that no trouble was
expected in adjusting the scale. The chief
difference lay with the reduction in the
rolling scale from seventy-two cents to
sixty cents
$50 intimate and pleasant were the re-
lations between the men and ourselves"
said one of the partners of the firm, that
we were convinced that no strike would ever
occur if it had not been for the efforts of
one of the Vice-Presldents of the Amalga-
mated Association. He went to each of the
men in the steel department and asked for
their opinion on the proposed reduction.
Their opinion to man was to submit the
matter to a secret ballot in their meeting
rooms and have the body abide by the de-
cision. But the officer said no, emphati-
cally no. They should ballot openly on the
matter
''The Association has not treated us square,
ly in this trouble. 1t has gone back on its
own laws and rules 1t is thoroughly un-
derstood in mills governed by the Anal
gamated laws that no favoTs in the way of
reductions, etc, are to be granted to any
one mill that shall not be granted on appli-
cation to any other mill. Very recently
the Amalgamated men employed bv the
Hainsworth Steel Company, which is really
one of Oliver Bros biggest interests, al
lowed general reduction of Is per cent on
wages Still they decline to equalize with
us or other large concerns
Don't Know of Any Strike.
'As far as the alleged strike now on is
concerned, We don't know of the existence
OF anv. We have all the men we want to
run the steel and other departments on hand
now, and had this morning when the men
quit. We had advertised for workers and
got all that could be accommodated. OF |
course. it cannot be said that the Bessemer /!
department is running in full blast. That |
would be impossible. 1t will have to 90 |
through all the infantile dis eases of every /
other such enterprise, but in very short |
time it is bound to become the healthy ar
ticle that we propose to make it. We have
all the patience necessary to wait for this
In the meantime the other departments of
the mill. viz: The machine shops, pud-
ding department with muck rolls, the bar
mill and horseshoe factory are kept running
on a small scale.''
About 900 men were employed in running
the latter departments, and the greater
number of these, with the exception of the
of whom there are about 125,
went out yesterday. The machinists claim
they are not concerned in any way and will
not go out without orders from their own
headquarters.
The chief cause for displeasure among the
men seems to be the amount of machinery
used in the mill 1t was the cause of re-
iuclng portion of the force. though not
he wages. Where in one mill il needed
zen metal wheelers the Shoenberger people
lid the work with six.
AS Viewed by the Strikers.
The strikers, while evidently assured of
he fact they have not been souarely
reated, could not be found yesterday to
ay where the trouble Law, or what the real
'ause for complaint was Not a few of
hem who refused to give their names to a
DISPATCH reporter said they didn't intend
o stay out very long. Their opinion was
hat there was nothing in the strike for
hem, ard that they had seen too many un-
ortuDate victims of such trouble alreal Y.
Ag'In they say they worked so long tor the
I'm, and were treated so extremely well by
heir employers that they hated to have the
after think that they were SO ungrateful
Two of the men went to the office and
aid they were sorry they had to go
,ut with the rest, but wanted the firm
o know that it was against their will that 1
hey obeyed One of those men was about
IS years old, and he shook hands warmly
With his late employer
All the departments, with the execution
# the machine shop, were running to some
xtent Early in the morning large force
If men were on hand in case the men car
led out the threat of a strike They were
'ut to work at once in the strikers places
nd continued until late at night. A few
# the strikers returned to work early in the
av
President Weihe had nothing to make
public on the Shoenberger strike.