New-York tribune., 1901-07-18
STEEL STRIKE PLANS.
TO MAKE STOPPAGE OF WORK
GENERAL.
ASSOCIATION so FAR
SUCCESSFUL-MAY REACH CAR
NEGIE PLANTS
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBuSE.I


Pittsburg. July 17.-From the plans of the
Amalgamated Association officers. the strike of
steel workers in the plants of the United States
Steel Corporation is in its incipiency. The pur-
pose never was. according to the latest informal
tion from the strike headquarters TO limit the
movement to the mills of the American Sheet
Steel Company, American Tin Plate Company
and the American Steel Hoop Company. The
Amalgamated Association from the beginning,
OF the negotiations that led directly to the strike
has contemplated q general strike The time
for spreading the idleness into the other plants
than those of the three companies named has
rot quite arrived. but il is close enough TO war
rant President Shaffer and his committees In
discussing il
President Shaffer states that within few
days the men in recognized non-union mills will
join the movement and add TO the troubles OF
the steel corporation. He qualities his state
ment By announcing that the expansion of the
movement will come without solicitation from
the AmaIgamated Association His declaration
bears the impress Of diplomacy as a possible
legal safeguard. technically. 1t is commonly
known that the organizers, district officers and
other responsible agents of the organization
scattered over the whole country. all hard at
work Every nOn-uniop plant harbors some
Amalgamated men, men who were formerly
members. out of the ranks through stress
of conditions that have changed their positions.
These men are counted as the leaven to ferment
the mass and reports from these men
! ceived without attempt 10 conceal pleasurable
eagerness. Each day may bring enough favora-
| BILE returns warrant general acceptance and
! order to strike when the men ready.
| COULD TIE UP MANY PLANTS IN a WEEK
! Without betraying confidence it may be-
| stated that it would be possible within week
TO tie up a majority of the largest plants Of the
] steel corporation. The president of the Amalga-
| mated Association must be q man thoroughly
| familiar and in touch with the intrinsic and
market value Of iron and steel in all forms from
! the ore up and must constantly be in touch with
| market conditions Hence. it is perfectly nat
ural that President Shaffer knows to a hair what
plants TO attack to produce the worst possible
! effect upon his opponents. He knows that, next
/ to sheets and tinpIates the steel corporation
would be hurt most by the idleness Of the plate
| and structural plants. There the hardest work
| Is being done and news may be expected any
/ day that these plants are idle and that the
! strike has become one of steel workers in gen.
1 eraI and not Of the Amalgamated Association
! alone.
! How far the expectations OF President Shansr
will be realized within the next ten days can
/ not be foretold but the plans have been laid
| with care by men OF experience and discretion
President Shaffer has gone 10 the limit OF his
| official authority and depends wholly on the
thoroughness with which his secret service men
have performed their work backed by a force
of sentiment that is undeniably influential and
! apparent even TO the casual observer. The
plants of the Carnegie Company at Homestead.
/ Duquesne and in Pittsburg proper. contain
several hundred men who have been eager to-
ally themselves with such movement The test
for them is close at hand. Once the Carnegie
plants are touched, the circumstance is ex-
pected to act like flash OF powder
To GET NoN-UNION MEN TO STRIKE.
| President Shafrer however places his first de-
pendence on the non-union men in the big sheet
plants at Vandergrift Leechburg and Apollo
With the mills at these points idle IN addition to
those that struck at the beginning, President
Shaffer will hold the situation in the hollow OF
his hand The activity OF the Steel Corporation
is shown in the attempt to start the sheet plant
at Wellsville Ohio and the placing of guards
about the Painter Lindsay & McCutcheon and
w De Weese Wood plants. This is taken to
mean that some movement is contemplated by
the corporation President Shafrer and his adj
visers however are inclined to regard these in
cidents as a ruse TO distract the attention OF
the workers from their missionary work among
the other non-union plants.
The situation remains decidedly in favor OF
President Shaffer. Before the strike the plants
of the Sheet company and a few independents
were from two TO four months behind their
booked business. With the producing capacity
so greatly reduced he figures that the company
will not present a strikingly favorable report at
the end of the fiscal year Much Of the business
will be lost entirely, and much will go the in
| dependent concerns. With the plate and struct-
ural mills idle in addition 10 the sheet. hoop and
tinplate plants. the corporation will be almost
as badly crippled individual company.
while the actual losses will, OF course, be proper
tionate.
Much depends now upon the development or
lack OF il, SO far as relates TO the sheet mills
still at work and the general steel finishing
plants. With these all idle, success for the
workers seems unquestionable. With them run
ming. the situation viii remain test OF endur-
ance. The next week will present features that
win go far toward determining the probable
manner of the end. There indications here
that negotiations in progress through In
dividuals looking toward a possible compromise
| by means of minor concessions from the corpo-
ration In the mean time preparations are going
CHICAGO To SAN FRANCISCO
without change by the Overland Limited every