The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1901-07-03
THE BIG STRIKE is ON.
Thirty Thousand MenQuit Work In the
Sheet Steel and Steel Hoop Mills.
AS MANY MORE MAY BE AFFECTED.
Issues Involved and Speculation as to
the Outcome OF the Struggle
Between the Union and
the slightly Trust.


pany, subsidiary companies of the
great United States Steel corporation,
to sign the workers new scale at Sat.
urday's conference. circulars were
sent out from the national headquar-
tiers of the Amalgamated Association
of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, de-
claring strike at all the plants of the
two combines. The great strike is
now on, but it will be several days be-
fore its actual extent is known. AT
the outset however. over 10000 Will
be involved, as follows: Aetna Stand
ard sheet mills, Bridgeport, SGSAo, q
900: Midland steel mills, Muncie, Ind,
1000; Meadow rolling mill, Scotdale.
Pa, 4OO;' Salisbury, Pa, rolling mill,
800; w. Devices WOOD. minis, McKees.
port, Pa, 1000; Cambridge iron and
steel mills, Cambridge, o., 4Oo5 Can
ton rolling mills, Canton, o.; ESQ;
CHARTERS iron and steel mills. Carne-
gle, Pa, 800; Dennison rolling mills.
Dennison, o.. $50; Dresden iron and
steel mills, Dresden, o., 800; Falcon
iron and nail mills, Niles, o., $50; New
Philadelphia mills. New Philadelphia,
o., 700; Piqua rolling mills. Piqua, o.,
COO; Reeves iron mill, Canal Dover, o.,
$50: Struthors iron mills. Struthers,
o., 400; Corning steel mills, Ham
mond. Ind. 300; kaufman steel mills,
Paulton. 200; Hyde Park steel mills,
$50. Total 1850.
Non-union sheet mills: Apollo iron
and steel mills, Vandegrift, 5000;
Kirkpatrick mills, Leechburg, $50;
WclIsvillc plate and sheet iron mills,
Wellsville, o., 400; Scottdale iron and
steel mills. Scottdale, Pa, 800 Total,
61OO. American Steel hoop company,
400; Independent plants, 81 in num-
Der 5000. Total number OF men in
volved in strike. $3.50.
The American Steel Hoop COM
pany's main Offices are in this city.
The company has three nonuniOn
plants in this city. The company has
also nonunion plant at Monessen
and one at DuncanvilIe. though the
employees of the latter are ready for
organization as soon as the Amalga
mated people will take them in. Other
plants of the company are claimed by
the Amnlgamatcd people as union.
There are two at Youngstown, o., and
one each at Sharon. Girard. Green.
Vile, Pomeroy, o., and Warren, o.
What the strike just inaugurated
may eventually lead to is problemati-
cal. Three months ago when a strike
occurred in the Wood plant of tho
American Sheet Steel company at Nc
Kecsport, because the company re-
fused to allow its men to become mem
bers Of the Amalgamated Association,
President Shaffer threatened If the
McKecsport strikers could not win
with their own strength, he would or
der Il strike in every plant of the COM
pany. If the latter would not yield he
would then call out the union in every
plant of the United States Steel cor
poration. Such a course would result
in the biggest strike the country has
ever seen, involving several hundred
thousand mon.
Plans Of tho strikers.
For the first few weeks the situa-
ton will not show the strength OF the
association. Almost all the plants of
the company, union and nonunion, will
be compelled to shut down during the
carly part OF July to give the men
rest. They have been working stead
lily since the first OF the year, many
of them without weeks cessation.
Union ana nonunion alike, they arc
demanding short vacation. and the
prediction is made that the companies
will be unable to keep one at work
for two or three weeks after Tuesday.
The heat is intense and the men, ono
vice president said. are almost in n
state of revolt.
1t VIII be after, perhaps, the first OF
August when the comAine makes
serious attempt to start up in full that
the real battle will begin If no settle
ment has been reached at that time.
The company cannot well delay oper.
otf ,,1r I,nN -
the present floods of orders. 1t is the
boast of the Amalgamatcd Association
officials that by that time they will
control so per cent of the capacity of
the combination plants.
Gradually the plans of President T.
j. Shafrer OF the AmaIgamated Asso
citation are being uncovered. Since
the trouble in the w Deweese Wood
mills in MCKeesport, a few months
ago, the Amalgamatcd Association has
been actively engaged in breaking up
the present arrangement of the COM
bine In operating parts of their plants
with nonunion men and the others
with union men. Mr.. ShaffeT says that
II this is not checked the life of the
Amalgamatcd Association Is threaten
ed. for the combine will always work
their union mills last and the union
men will be sufferers by this.
The strike order against the Amer.
lean Sheet Steel company has been
ordered because this portion of the
United States Steel corporation has thus
far stood out against the increase in
union mills now recognized as union,
to remain so. The American steel
Hoop company stands in the same po-
sition. Thus is arrayed against union
organization, two branches of the
United States Steel corporation.
The fight is not for wages. but for
organization. Either the AmaIgamat.
ed Association must bow to the will
Of the greater combine. or else the
greater combine will have to give up
its nonunion mills. Members of the
advisory board of the AmaIgamated
Association declare that the Associa-
ton has a surprise in store for the
combine.
Strike at Newport News.
Newport News. Va, July 1.-The |