Evening journal., 1901-07-12
STEEL STRIKERS
STILL Arb OUT
Employers and Men Fail to
Reach Agreement
CONFERENCE is CONTINUED
ShaRer Outlines Position Of ASSOcia-
tiOn While MagnateS Express
Wish 10 Avoid Trouble

Pittsburg July 12.-The great labor
conference at the Hotel Lincoln yes.
terday failed TO come 20 any agree
ment. Another conference win be held
to-day. The object of the conference
was tho settlement of the strike order
by the Amalgamated Association OF
Iron, Steel and Tin Workers in the
mills Of the American Sheet Steel com.
pany and those of the American Steel
Hoop company. Tho conference also
had another purpose in view. the pre-
vention of q general strike in eli the
mills controlled by the United States
Steel Corporation, the two companies
in whose mills the strike had been
ordered being constituent companies
of the steel combine.
President Shaffer, in behalf Of the
association. formally presented the
case for the organized workmen and
the strikers. He laid stress upon the
fact that until this year the union had
made no effort directly to force a
union in all the plants of the com
bine, for the reason that it was thought
best to have that movement originate
and be carried on among the workmen
in the mills Since last year. however.
a new condition confronted the union
men. The officials Of the various com.
panies had plainly indicated he said.
that they are working on a policy for
operating their non-union plants in
preference to the union mills. and only
working the latter when il is absO-
lutely necessary. This plan, he de-
clared, is forcing the union mon to
desert the organization in order TO
get work The idle mills, being union,
and the union men rendered poverty
stricken as the price for being mem.
bers of the organization. means either
that the Amalgamated Association is
| going to be disbanded soon or else
! the non-union mills will have to be
made union so that equal justice will
be given to all.
1t was a matter of.life and death for
the Amalgamated Association that the
non-union mills be doae away with,
as Mr.. Shaffer put the situation. The
alleged method adopted by the Amer
| lean Sheet Steel company in practi-
cally starving the employees of tho
Old Meadow mills in Scottdale into
a non-union agreement was elaborated
on and the demand made By that com
pany that the mill be left out Of the
scale entirely in the future was taken
as an indication Of what the general
plan Of the company is in dealing with
the Amalgamated Association. il
meant. he said. slow starvation or else
complete surrender TO the company
and the giving up Of all rights to or
ganize unions in their plants.
in reply to the statements of Presi'
dent Shaffer. the officers of the various
companies present gave an outline OF
their position They denied any in
tention Of working an injustice toward
union workmen in their mills. The
feeling for the Amalgamated men had
always been friendly, they said, and
they had no desire to force any trouble
among them.
The plea on both sides was listened
to with the closest attention by al
Il of the members OF the conference
The tone on each side was amicabl'
and it was apparent that the manu-
faoturers' representatives were pre-
pared 10 go a long way to gain a peace
ful settlement Of the existing Difficult
ties.