Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-04-17
ONLY THE Beginning Of
THE GREAT LABOR BATTLE.
PRESIDENT SHAFFER FAVORS
CLOSING EVERY UNION SHEET
MILL IN THE COUNTRY,
AND WOULD FOLLOW THAT UP
BY CALLING OUT ALL UNION MEN
OF THE UNITED STATES
STEEL CORPORATION.

PrTTSBURG, Pa, April 16.-The
strike at the ". Devices Wood plant
of the American Steel Company, at Nc
Keesport, is still on. The mill is being
operated in a crippled condition. with
about the same number of men work
ing as yesterday. The strikers are pa
trolling the streets for the purpose of
inducing the workmen to remain away
from the mills, but they are keeping off
the company's property, and no trouble
has occurred.
President Shaffer. of the Amalgamat-
ed Association, said he would probably
call the National Advisory Board to-
gether to consider the extreme action
of calling out the men in the other mills
Of the United States Steel Corporation.
Samuel NJ. Cooper, general manager
of the Wood plant. is opposed to the
recognition of the Amalgamated AS
ISOLATION. In an interview he said:
This mill will never recognize the
union. The Wood mill has been oppos-
ed to the Amalgamated Association for
ever 40 years, and the men at the head
of the mill now are just as much oppos-
ed to the association as the former
prcprietors were. l have received word
from headquarters that the company
will never recognize the union"
If the plans nov contemplated by the
Amalgamated Association are carried
out the result will be a suspension Of
operations at all the union plants of the
American Sheet Steel Company, before
the close of the week.
President T. j. Shaffer, of the Anal
gamated Association, to-day issued a
call for a special meeting of the Ma
tional Advisory Board together with
the vice presidents of every district
where the sheet combination has a
plant. 1t will be held at National
headquarters in this city tomorrow
morning.
President Shaffer, in speaking of the
meeting tomorrow, said, with consid-
cradle emphasis: Il shall advise and
urge all members Of the board to vote
for an immediate closing of all plants
OF the American Sheet Steel Company,
in the country. This will be the be-
ginning of the fight and will say moth
ing further on the subject
When asked if the Association could
not win by simply shutting down the
sheet mills whether an order would be
sem out to close all the union tin plate
and steel plants OF the United States
Steel Corporation. Mr.. Shaffer replied:
II will say nothing more than, this
Is the beginning and you car take
what you desire.
The officials of the American Sheet
Steel Company stated to-day that about
eleven fires were at work and that APP
plications for employment were coming
in rapidly. 1t was stated that seventy
three applications were received yester-
day. but the applicants were informed
that no definite answer would be given
them for several days.
An official very close to the manage
ment Of the Sheet Steel Company said
to-day that it is the intention of the
company to close down the McKeesport
plant for an indefinite period. The
present is not an orportune time for a
labor contention, owing to the transit
tory state of the company's future pol
icy. caused by its absorption by the
Unssed States Steel Corporation.
II was further stated that rhe non
union plants of the company were pro-
ducing A. per cent OF the tonnage of the
coordination, and that no serious incon-
venience world result TO the trade by
the suspension OF the union sheet mills.
President T. ]. Shaffer, Of the Anal
gamated Association, stated to-day that
the workers were driven to the stand
they have taken by not one, but many
acts of bad faith on the part of the
Sheet Steel Company. He said:
The affair in McKeesport is not the
only trouble existing between the Amer
lean Sheet Steel Company and the Anal
gamated Association of Iron, Steel and
Tin Workers. At the last general con
ference when the scale was signed for
this year. We tried to secure the sign
ing of the scale for all the mills they
control and pointed out to them that il
they refused to sign for all great losses
would be ~entailed and trouble ensue up
on our attempt to organize non-union
mills"
Mayor r. ]. Black, of McKeesport, has
ordered the entire police force to re-
main on duty constantly to prevent any
disorder that may arise. The leaders
of the strike. however, state that they
will be able to control the men, and that
there is no danger of any resort 10
violence.
the strikers secured accession TO
their ranks to-day by the 125 men in
the Knobling department joini2S them.
This leaves only the steel mill and the
hammer departments at work and they
will continue in operation until the
work now in progress is finished, when
the shutdown will be complete.