The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1901-07-04
MANY men ARE IDLE.
Plants Of the Steel Companies Are
Closed by the Strike.

the first day of the strike troubles
between the Amalgamated Associa-
ton 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 a prolonged
struggle should it become necessary.
While officials of neither side will
venture 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 settlement will
have been reached and the men who
are now nominally on strike return
to work.
Possibilities of Strike.
What the strike just inaugurated
may eventually lead to is problemat-
ical. Three months ago when strike
occurred in the Wood plant of the
American Sheet Steel company at Nc
Keesport, because the company re-
fused to allow it's men to become mem
bers of the Amalgamated association,
President Shaffer threatened, the Nc
Keesport strikers could not win. with
their own strength, he would order
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 a course would result
ever seen, involving several hundred
thousand men. -naa
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 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 UNI
able to keep anyone at work for
two or three weeks aafter Tuesday.
The heat is intense and the men,
one vice president said Monday, are
almost in state of revolt.
Real Battle to Begin August.
It will be after, perhaps, the first
of August, when the combine makes
a 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 80 per cent. of the ca.
pacity of the combinations plants.
History of the Trouble.
Gradually the plans of President T.
j. Shaffer, of the Amalgamated asso.
citation, are being uncovered. Since
the trouble in the w. Devices Wood
mills in McKeesport a few months
ago the Amalgamated association has
been actively engaged in breaking ur
the present arrangement of the com
bine in operating parts of their
plants with nonunion men and the
others with union men. Mr.. Shaffer
says that If this is not checked the
life of the Amalgamated association
is threatened, for the combine will al
ways work their union mills last, and
the union men will be sufferers by
this discrimination.
Seek to Brighten Combine.
1t was believed by the Amalgamated
association that the pTomptness with
which the sheet steel combine came to
their terms in the McKeesport trouble
and allowed the union to exist in that
plant would prove boon to further ag-
gressive action on the part of the or
ganized workmen. Taking advantage
of the new United States Steel corpor-
alton as the parent head of all the 9TH
er combines with which the Amalga-
mated association had to deal, it was
felt that a threatened strike of all
the union men in all branches of the
steel business would so frighten the
combine officials that they would give
in and allow every one of the nonunion
plants 20 be unionized.
The strike order against the Amer
lean Sheet Steel company has been or
dered because this portion of the
United States Steel corporation has
thus far stood out against the increase
In union mills, now recognized as union,
foreman so. The American Steel Hoop
company stands in the same position.
Thus is arrayed against the union
organizations the two branches of the
United States Steel corporation. The
scale for the American Tin Plate COM
pany, also part of the greater cor
poration, has been signed. 1t is said,
however, that in case the struggle con-