Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-28
FORTY THOUSAND ON STRIKE
Tin Plate Mill Operatives Plan to Walk Out
Friday.
Unable TO AGREE OVER THE WAGE SCALE
Company Oncrs Eleven Per Cent In
crease md the Men Demand
Twcnty-Trust Owns All but
Four Mills In the Country.

CHICAGO, June 27.-The American lin
Plate company, which, barring four mills,
has monopoly of the tin plate manufactur-
ing interests of the United States, is facing
the prospect of a general strike next Friday
night, the result of which will be to close
all its mills Twenty thousand skilled
workmen and $4,000 laborers are likely to
be involved.
President Theodore Shaffer and Secretary
John Williams, with a committee Of the
Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel
Workers, were in Chicago from Tuesday to
Saturday night Of last week in daily con-
ference with the officials of the American
Tin Plate company in the Marquette build
ing. The committee is now back in Pitts"
burg and notice of a general strike, to be-
gin Friday night, has been issued. While
the officials nf the company in Chicago deny
there is any i'll feeling resulting from the
failure to agree over the scale, it was ad-
mitted that the company's mills are to be
shut down. 1t was also practically ad-
mitted at the company offices that the shut
down would continue until the wage scale
was agreed to by both sides.
Second Vice President w. 7. Graham of
the tin plate company represented the COM
pany in the conference with the workmen.
The committee and the Tin Plate trust Off
and 1t was not until the notice of the closing
down Of the mills was posted in Pittsburg
that the news reached Chicago. Mr.. Ora
ham, speaking for the company, denied
there was any feeling between the Amalga-
mated association and the officials over the
wage scale.
Extent of the Differences.
"The committee came here under instruc-
tions to ask for 90 per cent increase and
| as we understand it it had no authority to
accept anything else," he said. "The mem
bers of the committee were here several
Gays. We submitted a compromise propo-
sition, but the committee said it had no au
thority to accept it and asked to submit
it to the different unions. Our proposition
was for an advance equivalent to that paid
by the manufacturers OF iron and steel
sheets, approximately II per cent
LAS the contract with the association
lasted only until June 80, there was nothing
left for lis to do but shut down until the
companys proposition had been submitted
to the various unions of the Amalgamated
| association. There is no talk of strike"
The various mills of the great concern, the
capitalization of which is $4,000, 900, are
scattered over the eastern and middle states
as follows: Bridgeport o., eight mills;
Elwood, Ind, twenty mills; Montpelier. Ind =.
six mills; Atlanta. Ind, six mills; Lisbon
o., seven mills; Blarsville Pa. one mill
Cleveland, o. three mills; Cincinnati o.,
ten mills Cumberland, Md, five mills;
Ellwood City, Pa, five mills; Niles, o., six
Iecnills; Joliet, ILL.,, four mills West Newton,
Pa, one mill; Connellsville. Pa, six mills;
Middfetown, Ind, six mills; Johnstown, Pa,
four mills; Wheeling. w. Va, ten mills;
Martins Ferry, o.. fourteen mills; Phila-
delpha Pa, six mills; Pittsburg, Pa, twenty
mills: Gas City. Ind, eight mills; Cambridge
o., five mills; Anderson, Ind, six mills;
Monnesson, Pa, fourteen mills; Newcastle
Pa, ffty-six mills; Remington, Pa, two
mills; New Kensington. Pa. twelve mills;
Canal Dover o., four mills; Brooklyn, N. Y,
three mills; Baltimore, Md, two mills;
Demmer, Pa, eight mills; Irondare, o.,
four mills: Washington, Pa four mills.
PITTSBURG, June 27.-Secretary John
Williams of the Amalgamated associa alton
has notified all lodges of the failure to
agree on the tin plate wage scale. The
/ lodges are asked to meet and again con-
slider the scale. Special meetings will have
ITO be held in order to decide upon what
| action shall be taken, and 1t will be at
least two weeks before another conference
! can be arranged. The delay in arranging
the tin plate scale will result in serious
| the loss in wages if settlement is reached
within two weeks, is over 81 900 900, fully
| three ffths of which would be paid workers
| in western Pennsylvania il the plants con-
| tinued in operation.