Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-23
TAKING A FIRM STAND.
Mechanics and Day Laborers Will
Abide With the Amalgamated.
ANOTHER CONFERENCE. TO-DAY.
Steel Workmen Will Talk Again With
Nr. Potter.
THE TIN HOUSE SCALE Is SIGNED

THE TIN HOUSE SCALE Is sIGNEI
Five hundred men representing the day
and tonnage workers employed in the mill,
of the Carnegie Steel Company at Home
stead gathered in Magdala Hall at 7:3(
o'clock last evening to discuss the labor
situation. Harry Dodds acted as chair.
man. He stated that the object of the
meeting was to decide whether or not the
scale recently presented by Superintendent
Potter should receive any consideration, OF
whether the men were fully prepared tc
stand by the scale they had sent into the
convention of the Amalgamated Associa.
tion.
Some Of the men present. not being fully
acquainted with the terms of the last men,
toned paper, asked that it be read. This
request was granted, and when it was shown
that this scale contained no radical changes
| over the one now in force it was favorably
received. However, there were q few pres
| ent who seemed dissatisfied and they de.
clared they were against it going into the
| convention. Their reasons were that under
the terms of the new scale their wages
would be decreased instead of being raised.
When the matter was more thoroughly e1-
planned to them, however, and they were
shown that their wages would remain the
same, they concluded to- SANCTION the new
scale.
Adopted tho Scale as Presented.
At this point there was a general discus.
sion of the report which recently gained
widespread circulation that the mechanical
men and day workers had signed the scale
presented by Superintendent Potter This
was finally denounced as incorrect Here a
motion was made and carried that the new
scale be adopted as read. John Lynch, of
the Amalgamated Association, was called
upon to address the meeting. He said: cit
has been asserted throughout the mill that
the Amalgamated Association did no good
for the day workers, and that when the As
sociation signed the scale after the strike OF
three years ago they left the day men out in
the cold" That's what they did. ;" ''That's
right" called out several men in the rear of
the hall.
81 did not come here to argue this mat
ter" continued Mr.. Lynch, "but I will
wager $40 to 81, and lay the money upon
this table, and then leave it to four neutral
gentlemen present if what 1 say is not cor
rect"
No one accepted the wager. and Mr.,
Lynch then went on with his remarks with
II must say that speaking practically, the
day workers during the strike Of three years
ago received guarantee from the Amalga-
mated Association, and in return gave moth
ing. What mean Is that while the men,
bers of the Association weresobliged to pay
their initiation fees and dues to keep up the
lodges, the day workers. or non-members,
did not have to pay anything
Will Stand by the Day Workers.
"All they gave us was their sympathy in
coming out on strike with us, and for this
We stipulated in our agreement with the
Carnegie Steel Company when we returned
to the mills, that the pay of the day worker
should remain the same for the period of
three years, and all the men out on the
strike should be returned to their respective
positions If the day worker follows the
same course he did three years ago and
goes out with us in case Of strike we will
never 90 back to the mill without him."
Chairman Dodds said he could testify to
the truth of Nh. Lynch's remarks. 'Three
years ago Mr.. Loveday and myself we're
elected by the Washington lodge as dele
gates to the Amalgamated Convention. At
this time Mr.. Abbot had insisted that there
should be a decrease of per cent in the
wages of the day workers. Through the
efforts of the Amalgamated Association this
when if they had not given us assistance we
would have been in very bad shape. do
not intend going back upon them now."
After Mr.. Dodds had finished the Slavs
and Hungarians insisted upon having the
tht general order of the business of the
meeting interpreted to them, which was
done.
A Pledge From the sIavs.
Following him was John Spawn, Slav.
He told the Amalgamated men that his
people intended to join them, and help as
far as they were able, but he desired in re-
turn that the Amalgamated Association
should take care of the foreigners, as they,
being little used to the ways of the coun-
try, were liable to get into trouble
At the close of Mr.. Spawn's remarks |
that the mechanics and day workers |
in the Carnegie steel plant should |
abide by the decision of the Amalgamated |
Association. This motion literally closed |
the business of the evening. The tonnage |
men were asked to withdrawn to give the |
day workers q chance to select committee |
to confer with the manufacturers at the |
meeting to-day. During the meeting it |
was announced that Superintendent Potter
had communicated with the majority of |
day workers during the afternoon, and in
formed them that there was considerable
work on hand that night and he would need
them. This announcement was afterward |
and the men in the hall united in
saving it was nothing but scheme to pre-
vent the men from attending the meeting
Paying a Compliment to the Dispatch.
While the session was still in progress
the question arose whether it was proper to
allow newspaper representatives to be pres
emit. This occasioned considerable argu-
ment, in which it was stated by several
Of the members that THE DISPATCH, in
handling the news of tho labor situation
during the past three weeks, had not only
been entirely correct but very compreheI-
,ive. The matter was subsequently DUO to
motion, and it was unanimously decided
10 allow the correspondents to remain.
On Tuesday last there was a meeting of
he men employed in the guide mill and
notion was made and carried to the effect
hat the men should not accept the scale as
,ffered by the Western Iron Association,
md if the manufacturers did not accept the
Gale presented by them they would strike.
HIS DECISION RESERVED.
l Hearing in the Suit Against Members
|