Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1901-07-06
PROGRESS OF THE STRIKE.
Many Steel Mills Are Idle Because of
the Ama1gamated Assoc
ciatiOn's Order,

Pittsburgh, Pa, July 2.-The end of
the first day of the strike troubles
between the Amalgamated Associa-
tion of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers
on one side and the American Sheet
Steel company and American Steel
Hoop company, constituent companies
after the United States Steel corpo-
ration, the other, finds all Of the
union plants idle and many workers
from open mills who are members of
the Amalgamated association on
strike. The association officials say
they are satisfied with the situation
and claim they will be able to con-
troll between $4,000 and 10000 in the
two companies. No move was made
on the part of either side to the con-
troversy, and it is doubtful if any
thing decisive will be done for at
least a week. Both men and manu-
facturers agree that a shutdown for
about two weeks is necessary wheth-
er settlement is reached or not.
In the meantime the association Off
Gals will make every preparation to
be fully equipped for prolonged
struggle should it become necessary.
While officials of neither side will
venture a prediction, much quiet talk
is being INDUCED in, the trend of
which leads to the belief that before
the usual summer shutdown of the
mills has expired a settlement will
have been reached and the men who
are now nominally on strike return
to work.
What the strike just inaugurated
may eventually lead to, is problemat-
ical. Three months ago when a strike
occurred in the Wood plant of the
American Sheet Steel company al Nc
Keesport, because the company re-
fused to allow its men to become men,
bers of the Amalgamated association,
President Shaffer threatened, if the Nc
Keesport strikers could not win with
their own strength, he would order a
strike in every plant of the company.
If the latter would not yield he would
then call out the union men in every
plant of the United States Steel cor
poration. Such course would result
in the biggest strike the country has
ever seen, involving several hundred
thousand men.
For the first few weeks the stu
alton 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 early part of July
to give the men a rest. They have
been working steadily since the first
of the year, many of them without
weeks cessation. Union and non
union alike, they are demanding a
short vacation, and the prediction Is
made that the companies will be I'M
able to keep anyone at work for
two or three weeks after Tuesday
The heat is intense and the men,
one vice president said Monday, are
almost in a state of revolt.
1t will be after, perhaps, the first
of August, when the combine makes
serious attempt to start up in
full, that the real battle will begin
if no settlement has been reached at
that time. The company cannot well
delay operating longer than that, on
account of the present floods of or
ders. In fact, the urgent orders now
on the books can scarcely wait
through July. Thus the association
has almost a month more to prepare
for the coming struggle. 1t is the
boast of the Amalgamated associa-
ton officials that by that time they
will control so per cent. of the ca
pacity of the com bination's plants.