Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-07-14
NO noRE UNION MEN.
II. C. Frick Says They win Never Again
BE Employed at the Carnegie Works.

BE Employed at the Carnegie Works.
PITTsBuRG, Pa, July In an interview
this afternoon II. G. Frick, chairman of
the Carnegie Steel Company, limited, said
"The question at issue is a very grave
one. 1t is whether the Carnegie Company
or the. Amalgamated Association shall
have absolute control of our plant and
business at Homestead. We have decided
after numerous fruitlcss conferences with
the Amalgamated officials in the attempt
to amicably adjust the existing difficulties,
to operate the plant ourselves. can say
with the greatest emphasis that under no
circumstance will we have any further
dealings with the Amalgamated Associa-
ton us an organization. This is final.
The Edgar Thompson works and our
establishment at Duquesne are both
operated by workmen who are not menu
bers of the Amalgamated Association with
the greatest satisfaction to ourselves and
to the unquestionahle advantage of our
employees.
At both of these plants the work in
every department goes on uninterrupted;
the men are not harassed by the interfer-
encc Of trades union officials, and the best
evidence that their wages are satisfactory
is shown i'll the fact that we have never
had strike there since they began work
ing under our system of management.
THE SLIDING SCALE. -="-.
"What was the basis of the differences
existing at present between the Carnegie
company and their men, Mr.. Frick 2"
"There were three points upon which
we differed. The skilled workmen in the
Amalgamated Association work underwhat
is known as q sliding scale. AS the price
Of steel advances the earnings of the men
advance; as the prices fall their earnings
decrease in proportion. While there is no
limit to an advance of earnings on the
scale, there is a point at which the decline
stops. 1t is known as the minimum, and
the figure heretofore has been S25 per ton
for AKA Bessemer billets. We believe that
if earnings based on the selling price of
steel can advance without limit, the work
men should be willing TO follow the selling
price down TO reasonable minimum, and
so this figure was finally fixed by the
Carnegie company at the rate OF S23 instead
of SO. The reason for asking this upon
our part was that the Carnegie company
has spent large sums of money i'll the
introduction of new machinery III its
Homestead plants, by means of which the
workmen were enabled to increase the
daily output, thereby increasing the
amount of their own earnings. We had
originally asked 4 reduction to So, but
subsequently agreed to compromise the
rate at S23, The Amalgamated Association
was unwilling to consider a reduction
below S24 OIL steel billets, notwithstanding
the fact that the improved machinery
would enable their members, even at S2S,
to earn more than is paid in other ANAL
gamated mills. This was the first point ut
issue.
CHANGE OF DATE.
Under the present amalgamated sys-
tenn the date of the expiration OF the slid
ing scale is June SOth annually, We asked
that this date be changed to December 3lst
tthe same as at the Edgar Thomson
works. for the reason that the change
would permit us to make our estimate
upon the wages that we must pay during