Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-07-24
THE AMALGAMATED ASSOCIATION

THE AMALGAMATED ASSOCIATION
President shaner Describes Its
Methods of Operation.
Mr.. T. ]. Shaffer, president Of the
Amalgamated Association Of Iron and
Steel workers, Is the leading figure In
the great strike now going on. He con-
tributes to Golfers Weekly an article
on the association and its methods
evidently anticipating the strike,
Parts of this article which follow indi-
cate the spirit and methods Of the
strikers. After reviewing the history
of the association, which was organi-
zel in 1876, and telling Of the organiza-
ton Of workers in steel mills recently
he says:
While much Of the above was trans
piring the seven trusts with which we
dealt. were reorganized into what Is
we'll known as the United States Steel
company 1t has never expressed hos
tilitv to oreaniZed labor-at least. not
officially. Tt Is true that Mr.. Schwab
its president, expressed views. while
before the Industrial commission
which have been construed as mimi
cal to us: but Mr.. Schwab has been
misinterpreted by many papers. their
renorts not being consonant with the
stenoeraphic copy in my possession.
Rut II their exnositions were correct
it's force would be lost when the fact
Is considered that he spoke Of organ
lied la Dor as he viewed 1t in the terri
ble and murderous light-kindled. per-
haps. as much by misguided judgment
as by insatiate desire for affluence and
power-when capital and labor united
Iy became responsible for all the mis-
deeds consequent upon Homestead's IS
gigantic blunder.
The Amalgamated association laid
carefully to heart all the bitter expe-
riences Of that hour. and, being made
wiser, is endeavoring to follow the
peaceful and more profitable path OF
business methods. AS one manufac-
turer, Colonel French, Of Chicago, has
said, 1--WE are endeavoring to treat on
the broad equities, and dealing as part
ner with partner. in all honesty and
fairness aim to do that which is just
to both" Intercourse with such men
as Colonel French has been salutary
and beneficial.
With the Illinois Steel company and
the Republic Iron and Steel company,
we have agreed upon wage settlements
which virtually reduce the possibility
of strikes, or even the cessation of op-
Grafton of plants. and our law cornpels
us to extend to all with whom we treat
any and all privileges accorded to one.
In order to elucidate this, 1t will be
necessary to explain our rules for for
mulating scales.
The manufacturing territory Of the
United States Is divided into districts,
with a vice president over each. These
districts are composed Of subordinate
lodges, one or more to each depart
ment of a mill, comprehending certain
crafts. The districts are merged into
national lodge, to which all are re-
sponsible. Each year the lodges, in
the month of April, hold meetings and
consider suggestions for changing our
constitution and scales. These are
sent to the national lodge, which prints
and. distributes them to the subordi-
nate lodges. This year we issued a
manufacturers edition, so that they
might know, before we considered and
acted upon them in convention, exactly
what our members desired.
The national president appoints a
wage committee, which examines the
suggestions, and in selecting those
deemed fair, reports scale to the del
egates of the succeeding convention.
The latter body usually further modi-
fies, thus eluding the radical and pre-
serving the just demands made upon
the employers. A conference commit
tee. generally vested with plenary au-
thority, is appointed by the president,
and a meeting held with the manu-
facturers, when an annual scale is OBJ
tained by further reductions proposed
by them. In case no agreement is
reached before July 1st, Of each year,
work is discontinued and we are re-
garded as being on strike.
Last year we required three months
of deliberation before reaching con-
clusions mutually satisfactory. The
Republic Iron and Steel company re-
quested that we arrange plans to obvi-