The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-07-15
President Shaffer's Order Obeyed in
All Mills Of the Tin Plate, Sheet
and Hoop Combines.
Strikers Protesting That Their Cause
Is Just and Bound to Be
a Winner.

, are the Lindsey and McCutcheon plant Of
the American Steel Hoop company, and the
Star tin plate mill Of the American Tin Plate
company.
The Scottdale and Old Meadow mills are
still running and President Shaffer said:
We could call them out, but they are work
ing under an agreement and we do not
want to break their contract. Things are
just as l expected. In the rush we over
looked one place and important place, too,
and this morning l got telegram asking
what's the matter with US. 1t is tin mill.
He refused to say where it was located.
In reference to the report that the manu-
facturers had made proposal for an
other conference, Mr.. Shaffer said that
no intimation had been received by him
that they had any idea of asking for a
second meeting in the near future. That
was matter entirely with them.
Dispatches received up to 10 o'clock
at the Amalgamated headquarters report
the following mills closed: The Star Tin
Plate Works, Monongahela Tin Plate,
Demmler Tin Plate, the Kensington Mills,
the Connellsvtlle mills, the Cannonsburg
Mills, and the Devices Wood Sheet plant
at McKeesport.
| At the Lindsay and McCutcheon plant
in Allegheny $50 men were idle Of the
twenty-five furnaces only two are re-
ported in operation, being worked by
few puddlers. A number of strikers were
standing around the plant, but there were
no indications of any disturbance.
Largest of Plants.
| The steel branch of the labor associa-
| tion says the sheet steel fight will owe it's
| success to its ability to bring out the men
| employed at the great works in Wander
! grift, Pa. This plant is the largest of it's
kind in the world, and already some Of
the men are members of the Amalgamated
| association. 1t is claimed that before the
| day is over portion, at least of these
mills will be idle. At IL a. m. no report
| had been received from the unemployed
] there but Vice President Reese, of the
7 first district Is at work, and although he
refuses to talk It is known he is making
strenuous efforts to bring the Wander
grift men out. The strikers have been
| counselled to observe the strictest order,
| and they have also been asked by Presi-
| dent Shaffer to keep away from the diff
ferent works.
Reports received at Amalgamated head
quarters say every steel hoop plant In
| Pittsburg excepting the William Clarke
| Sons company, is idle, and all the sheet
| mills have closed down. Only one tin
plate mill in this district is in operation.
The Labelle tin plant at Martins Ferry,
| Ohio; Laughlin Tin Plate works and the
Aetna Standard plant at Bridgeport, Ohio;
Cambridge, Ohio, plant, and Greenville,
Pa, works are all shut down. The Aetna
Standard company employees 5000 men,
and the Cambridge company 800 men, and
| they are all out.
AT Newcastle, Pa, 1900, all ANAL
| gamated tin workers, are idle to-day,
and when stocks now on hand are used
up the other employees will have to quit
and $500 will be idle. At the Rellsville,
! Ohio, plant, all the men employed except
fifteen have Joined the Amalgamated as
sociation. Efforts to run the mill have
been abandoned for the present.
"AII Our Men ont"
"All of our men are out and the condi-
tion for which we have been preparing
| these three years and more and against
| which we have repeatedly warned the
manufacturers, now confronts the latter"
said President T. ]. Shaffer this morning.
''The gratifying unanimity with which our
men assented to the strike order is a
vigorous and sufficient refutation of the
statements of interested persons on the
other side of this controversy that the
strike is one Of the officials of the Anal
gamated association and not Of the men.
AS showing that the iron, steel and tin
workers appreciate the gravity Of the
present situation and the imperative duty
devolving upon them, there are some
works that we could not reach Saturday
night in promulgating the strike order,
and yesterday and this morning we have
been in receipt OF indignant protests from
those lodges inquiring why they were not
ordered out. They are out now; In fact.
all our men are out, and the works of
the three underlying companies of the
United States Steel corporation are tied
up as tight as an estate in an English
chancery court And so they will remain
until the companies concede the Just de-
mands Of our men,"
Secretary Treasurer John Williams Of
the Amalgamated association says the
action Of the men all over the country
could not have been more general. Con-
tinuing, he said:
In an interview in this mornings papers
Mr.. Arms is reported as saying that the
manufacturers insisted on protecting the
union men in the non-union plants, many
of whom do not want to become union men.
I hardly think that Mr.. Arms would make
statement Of this kind, his past record
has always been OF fair dealing with the
Amalgamated Association. No one knows
better than Mr.. Arms himself that If the
barriers were torn down from the non-union
mills we could organize them all inside of
two days. This has been demonstrated by
the voluntary closing of all plants of the
American Steel Hoop company. The only
reason that the manufacturers gave that the
previous conditions should exist was that
they were afraid the Amalagamated Asso-
citation would attain too great power, and
it necessary that they themselves hold
the balance of power. The manufacturers
are refusing us the right that they exercised
themselves in forming the combination. They
used force in some instances it is believed,
in securing some of the plants now In their
company. We do not propose to coerce men
into joining our organization, but merely ask
for recognition, and certain the men
now at work In non-union mills will volun-
tariIy and gladly join our association.
Wage Advance offered.
The 4,5OO employees Of the National Tube
company at McKeesport were notified
to-day of a voluntary advance in wages
of 10 per cent. The men are not organ
lied, but the Amalgamated association
was making efforts to induce them to
join the union. Several months ago the
men demanded a 10 per cent advance.
but were refused.
i The w. Dewees-Woo plant is idle
to-day. The plant had been partly idla