The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-25
Spoilers GET IN
SOME TELLING WORK
Employees of the South Works Of
the American Steel & Wire
Company Maddened at the Cut
in Wages and Discharges

in Wages and Discharges
The people of Quinsigamond who are
employed in the wire mill, are much
incensed at the American Steel & Wire
Company, at its South Works, and they
propose to see if a stop cannot be put
to the wholesale cutting of wages that
( has been going on in the works since
/ the advent of the spoilers, who have
been sent from the West. Something
is to be done this week, and the eX-
ample of the men who went out Friday
and Saturday will be followed, If the
spotter who is doing the cutting starts
in on the rolling mill employees. Mat
tiers reached a head Friday, when the
men who are employed in scrap shed,
quit work on account of the cut re-
ceived This wholesale cutting or
wages and discharging of men has been
going on for over month, and Wlthln
that time nearly 800 have been DIS
charged. and the wages have been cut
from 10 to 30 per cent, and in some
cases so per cent.
One of the largest cuts in wages was
received by Fred Quincy who was
foreman of the department which in
cludes all the dummy engines that are
used to move the stock Of the COM
panY from one department to another
He received a cut in wages of more
than 81 per cent. When Mr.. Quincy
was notified that his wages had been
reduced he told the manager of the
COMPANY that he would not work any
longer and quit. Those men who have
received the cut in wages have families
depending on their pay and who could
aot afford to lose their work. or their
wives and children would suffer from
the want of necessities of life They
worked along, but amongst themselves
lots of talking was done, and as one
said that If he did not have family
to support he would not work at the
reduced wages a day longer. He voiced
the sentiments of a large number of
men who are affected by the cutting OF
the wages
The company has had two spoilers
at work in the departments of the
works with the work of which each is
acquainted, and they went about the
men when they were working and saw
the amount of work performed by each,
and if they saw that one man could
do the work of two, one of the men
was discharged and the other had to do
the work that was performed by both
of them before the discharge of the
other In other cases where they found
that a man was making a good days
pay without having to work too hard,
they notified the head officials, and the
man received a cut in wages Another
spotter, named Smith, was sent from
the West last week to see how the
work was done in the rolling mills and
see If some changes could not be made,
but nothing has been done yet. The
men who are employed in the rolling
mills are either young men or men in
comfortable circumstances, and 1T is
expected that if any attempt is made
to cut the wages or to discharge the
men that the company will have to
supply their places.
Yesterday, wherever a party of men
who are employed in the works, met the
principal topic for discussion was the
cutting of the wages, and the strike Of
the men employed in the scrap shed.
One of the men employed in the works,
said that every year that he works for
the company he finds it harder to make
both ends meet. and he said that he
does not know what he is going to do
this winter, as the price of food and
coal is so high.
The men who quit work in the scrap
shed have been making on an average
of S1.30 a day, and on that they had to
support themselves and their families,
and they have found it hard work, as
they had to do without lots of things
so as to pay for what they
had to eat and the rent of
the house that they live in
The property owners of the village are
complaining of the slowness of the peo-
pie in paying their rent when it is due,
and say that the second months rent
is due before the whole of the other is
paid. The merchants in the village say
that business is not as good as former
ly, and that it is getting worse every
day. as in former years people were re-
ceiving more pay, and could afford to
buy articles which they have to go
without now.
The outcome of the trouble this week
will be watched with interest by the
people of the village to see what will
be done if the men employed in the
rolling mills are affected. The men are
afraid to go out, and there is no organ
lied head to their side and, as one man
said yesterday that all that was needed
for the company to have strike on its
hands. was a leader Another said that
the company might find itself lost in
the Smoke of the cigars that the COM
lpany gave away last week, and that
there would be no more records made
in the getting out of steel in the mill