Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-02-18
A Big MEETING
OF RIVERSIDE IRON WORKERS HELD LAST
NIGHT.
The Men Strongly Opposed 10 the Last Rsduc-
ton in Wages and are FOrninga
Compact Organization.

The plate mill men Of the Riverside
iron works held 3 meeting last night al
Alert Hall, on South Jacob street, to
talk over and take some action on the
proposed cut at the plate mill. The
cut will effect three hundred men, and
nearly all OF them were there. The
crowd filed the hall to the doors, there
scarcely being standing room. The
REGISTER exclusively mentioned, less
than week ago, when the men were
notified Of the cut, which will average
Is per cent, that strike was to be
feared. Last nights meeting bore this
prediction out very fully.
A prominent plate mill man OF the
South Side, called the meeting to order
IL was strictly private, and those who
got In had to pass two door keepers,
whose orders were TO admit nobody ex-
cept Riverside employees. However,
representative Of this paper was at the
hall, and learned the proceedings OF
the meeting.
Last Saturday the tonnage men were
notified of a reduction, which was to
take effect thirty days from date, or on
the 10th OF next month This cut Is
FIVE cents on ton, or about a reduction
of Is per cent. A tonnage man makes
about 81 q day. and II the reduction
goes into effect he will make less than
Sc a day. There will be two hundred
tonnage men affected.
A few days later the day laborers
were notified OF a reduction. Now
they make S1.25 day, but the cut Of
fered them Is TO S1.15 day. Before
they got the first cut they made 81. 40
day. This reduction Of the day labor
will 60 into effect In the morning.
Every tonnage man in the audience
was against the reduction which goes
into effect the 10th Of next month.
Leaders among the workmen spoke
on this question, and their remarks
were applsuded TO the echo.
The matter first settled was whether
the plate mill men would go 10 work In
the morning. 1t was decided TO go 10
work Till the 10th OF next month. when
further action Will be taken. Ii Is then
that the strike is TO be feared.
II was next decided to organize all
the men OF the works. A paper was
started, to which nearly all present
signed their names. 1t is the intention
to form strong organization, and TO
complete 1t meetings will be held from
time to time. 1t is expected that In
less than a month to have the organiza-
ton complete, and 1t will be a powerful
one.
At the beginning Of the meeting a
committee from the tube WORKERS were
admitted. This committee signihed
that ia case the plate mill men strike,
all the tube workers can be relied upon
to join them. The organization expects,
and have considerable assurance that
they will receive other like promises
from the steel works and furnace.
This movement will thus affect the
whole plant, and in the event OF the
imminent strike OF the plate mill men,
will affect nearly 1000 men.
The fact that the men are greatly ag-
itated needs no other proof than the
way they assembled last night when the
meeting had been so little advertised.
Many OF the men did not know before
dark that any meeting was to DO held,
and people in that immediate locality
did not know OF its progress at oil.
Another meeting will be held early
this week at the same place.