The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1901-07-19
STEEL WORKERS ON A STRIKE
PRES. SHAFFER SENDS WORD.
Three Day Conference Came to
NauHht-5O,OOO skilled Worlmen
Anected-Both sides Make state
ments-ProIouged War Expected.

Pittsburg, July 14.-After a three
days session the conference between
the representatives of the American
Sheet Steel, American Steel Hoop COM
pany and American Tin Plate COM
pany, subsidiary companies OF the
United States Steel corporation, and
the general executive board of the
Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel
and Tin Workers, adjourned finally
without reaching an agreement. In
less than an hour later President Shat
fer of the Amalgamated Association
had wired the following order to all
the Amalgamated lodges in the tin
plate, steel hoop and sheet steel mills
of the country:
Notify your men that the mill is on
strike and will not continue work on
Monday, July 15."
President Shaffer says that for the
present the three companies will be af-
fected but that later all the union men
in the employ of the Federal Steel COM
pany, National Steel company and Ma
tional Tube company may be called out
if it is found necessary to resort to ex-
IRENE measures to win the fight. At
the start, it is claimed $4,000 skilled
workmen, 10000 unskilled men and in
directly many thousands more will be
affected.
After the adjournment OF the confer
ence the following statement was given
out by the officials of the three COM
panies interested:
"The conference between the Amalga-
mated association and the sheet, hoop
and tin plate companies failed to come
to an agreement because the Amalga-
mated association did not recede from
it's original position, which was that
the three companies interested should
sign for all their mills without regard
as to whether these mills had in the
past belonged to the Amalgamated as
ISOLATION or not. The manufacturers
did not refuse their rights to organize,
but having many men in the mills not
in the Amalgamated association who
do not wish to become association men,
claimed they might respect these men
in their wishes as well as those who
are members of the association. In or
der to effect a compromise the manu-
facturers offered to sign for several
mills which have always in the past
been out of the association. No COM
promise was offered by the Amalgamat-
ed association. The American Tin
Plate company have only one non-union
mill They requested the privilege of
making a special scale for this mill and
% %; ho This raf11cpd
and the company was given to under
stand that the men in all the tin mills
would be called out, even though the
scale has been signed for all other tin
mills. The privilege requested above
would settle all differences between the
tin plate company and the Amalgamat-
ed association"
AS soon as the workers reached the
headquarters of the Amalgamated as
ISOLATION statement was prepared for
the association side of the case. Presi-
dent Shaffer has made this public as
follows:
ION Friday afternoon the manufac-
turers made their first proposition for
a settlement of this strike, in which
they said: we agree to unionize the
Old Meadow mill in Scottdale and in
/ Salisbury, by leaving it to the opinion
of the men employed there, if such
opinion is properly obtained
"This proposition was generally dis
cussed, and this morning before the
conference adjourned for lunch the
general executive board of the Amalga
mated association submitted the fol
lowing: We hereby repeat our reques
that our scale be signed for all mill:
owned and controlled by the American
Sheet Steel, the American Steel Hool
and the American Tin Plate companies
and believe that this should be con
coded, because it is in our opinion rea
sonable and just. We agree if on
scales are signed as stated above t.
classify the Monssen plant and arrang
a scale in accordance Herewith. Ais
that there shall be reconstruction o
the scale for the mills working hoo
and cotton ties exclusively, and W
also agree that if our work of organic
ing mills outside of the possessions o
the above companies should cause tn
shutting down of plants or the calling
out of men there shall be no interior
ence with the operation of the mill
belonging to or operated by the Amer
can Sheet Steel company, the America
Steel Hoop company or the America
Tin Plate company during the seal
year.
"'This agreement is to abrogate al
contracts signed by the men of thes