The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-11
by gibson wILLzTs.

But mill workers pay the price in time.
For years in rolling mill tell upon men
like the climate Of India. The first year
out, the British officer in the Puniab
stands up straight and grows fat, despite
the 100 degrees in the shade. The second
year he begins to wither, to grow thin
ner to stoop a bit, to walk with a. step
less brisk than formerly. At the end of
the third year he goes home ON years
leave, emacfated helped aboardship by
servant, hands like claws, a wasted
body. Thus with the worker in the roll
ing mill-only compute the years thus:
For each year in India, ten in the mill
OF the seven great companies forming
the United States Steel company, four
are union, two part union, and one non
union. The union companies are Ameri-
can Steel Hoop, American Sheet Steel,
American Tin Plate, Federal Steel.
The part union-5hat those which
nave both union and nion plants
are National Tube anG Natioa2l Steel.
The non-union company is the Carnegie.
Each of these companies have from four
to dozen or fifteen pIaalts-in Pennsyi-
vania, Ohio, and Indiana. OF the four
union mills all are on strike save one
Federal Steel. Shanfer Will, not call out
Federal Steel until threatened by very
Waterloo. For the contribution of the
Federal plants to the strike fund
amounts to $4,000 a month, and these
men must be kept at work as long as
possible, to nelp support those on strike.
Why were the men in three Of the
union companies called out? / The
American Tin Plate company agreed to
the wages and the working hours as de-
manded. But it has not signed the scale
of wages for the mill at Monessen. al
though the Amalgamated association mas
n lEa q ep{a
to cover the special work done at this
mill-a rate which would be less than
that received by the workmen in any of
the other plants Of the Tin Plate COM
pany.
2. The American Steel Hoop COM
pany agreed as to wages and hours. but
limited the agreement to those mills
which were recognized last year as union
mills. This company refused to sign the
scale for the other mills, even though
assured that the men were organized
and were forced to remain at work by
the Analgamated officers during the re-
cent conferences with the manufactur-
ers.
3. The American Sheet Steel company
agreed to sign the scale and arrange for
working hours for the organized mills
only, and have required their employees
in non-union mills to sign an agreement
which prevents their becoming organ
lied, or union men, even if they so de-
sire
These are but three of the underlying
companies of the United States Steel
company" said Mr.. Shaffer, "wnile our
constitution requires that our scales
shall be signed for all the companies.
But in our proposition, made at the re-
cent conference we agree that. if these
lhree named companies would sign the
scale, whatever contention we might
have with the remaining four companies
should not interfere with the other.
- What says the other slde?e4
!. The United States Steel companv
cannot sign the scale for all mills, union
and non-union alike, because that would
mean their cooperation with Shaffer to
force the men into the Amalgamated
association.
2 The majority of the non-union men,
so the steel company claims, are not de-
slrous OF connecting themselves with
the Amalgamated association. and for
that reason it would be unfair to sign
the scales.
This latter statement is not substan-
tiated by the men Investigation re-
vealed the fact that the majority are
willing and anxious to join the Amalga-
mated association and will do so III
granted permission by the company.
One evidence of this is that all of
those employed in the Steel Hoop COM
pany in the non-union plants nave, since
the beginning of the strike, voluntarily
Joined the union ranks
And with the coming in of these men
rose the question as to whether they
should share in the strike fund. For
there is a rule that only those who have
been members of the union at least SIX
months shall benefit by the fund The
advisory board of the Arnalgamated as
ISOLATION has decided to waive the rule
and give the new members equal rights
with the others. To make this possible
offers of financial aid have come from
all over the country, wherever labor is
organized. Men in the independent mills
that is, those not in the United States
States Steel company, and there arc
about fifteen such in the union-haye as
sessed themselves, some agreeing to pay
IL per cent OF their earnings, and others
one or two days wages each week The
Ola union men, moreover, have NOTIFIED
headquarters that they wish to be fur
Their assessed to aid the newcomers. AS
to whether the strikers themselves favor
the strike, thousands of them have sent
to headquarters assurances of their
hearty Endorsement and support The
Amalgamated association can also count
100000 members Of the American FEEDER
alton Of Labor, with which it is af1il-
lated
TO understand the wage scale referred
to by President Shaffer would require a
course Of lessons. Leaders have been
working on it for twenty-five years, and
Shaffer himself worked on it in the odd
moments OF ten years, getting it into
its present form. It is comprised In
n hiTfN- oioslNE mi.
u1acturers understand it, the labor lead
ers can interpret it; but among the work.
ers, whose pay it regulates, not to one
In thousand is it comprehensive When
a man Is IN DOUBT as to his wage he
journeys to Amai9amated headquarters
some one in that office marks a cross
on the page that interests that partfcu-
lar workman. explains and elucidates,
and the man gees away daze1. and
henceforth guesse=s- that his rate of paw
is according to Hoyfe-anyway, he will
take the word Of those who understand
the thing
II agree with J. Pierpont Morgan"
says Mr.. Shaffer This strike ia one
that can scarcely be arbitrated, because
it is one of principle"
To which might be added that. as a
mass, perhaps, workmen remember prin-
ciple and keep It holy. But individually
lIeIe IS d true story. In one of the steel
plants three men called upon the man
ager and informed him that he was en-
ploying too many apprentices, that he
was allowed only one apprentice for
every five journeymen-or, in this case.
about six in all-whereas the boys. in the
mill numbered nine. VERY good replied
the manager, six 1t shall be-" Now 1t
so happened That three Of the appren-
tees were brothers. of the three com
mitteemen who had made the protest.
And it should be explained that an ap-
prentice serves three years, with paw
increasing from fifty to one hundred