Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-07-18
STRIKE
ORDERED
Conference at Pittsburg
Fails to Avert
Such Result
All Union lien in Steel
fills to Suspend
Work
Army of One Hundred
Thousand Men Di=
reCtly Affected

Pittsburg July 14-The conference
between representatives of the Amer
lean Sheet Steel company, American
Steel Hoop company and American
Tin Plate company, subsidiary COM
panies of the United States Steel cor
poration, and general executive board
of the Amalgamated Association of
Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, after a
three days session, adjourned finally
at six last evening without reaching an
agreement. In less than an hour,
President Shaffer of the Amalgamated
association bad wired the following
the tin plate, steel hoop and sheet
steel mills in the country.
Notify your men that the mill is on
strike and will not work on Monday,
July 15"
For the present President Shaffer
says only the three companies named
will be affected, but later all union
men in the Federal Steel company, Ma
tional Steel company and National
Tube company, may be called out if it
is found necessary to resort to extreme
measures to win the fight. At the
start it is claimed $4,000 skilled work
men, 10000 unskilled men and, indi-
rectly, many thousands more will be
affected
After the adjournment of the con-
ference, the following statement was
given out by officials of the three com
panies interested:
"The conference failed to come to
an agreement because the Amalga-
mated association did not recede from
its original position, which was that
the three companies interested should
sign for all their mills without regard
as to whether these mills had in the
past belonged to the Amalgamated as
sociation or not The manufacturers
did not refuse their rights to organ
ize, but having many men in the mills
not in the Amalgamated association
who do not wish to become association
men, claimed they must respect these
men in their wishes as we'll as those
who are members of the association.
In order to effect a compromise, the
manufacturers offered to sign for sew
eral mills which have always in the
past been out of the association. No
compromise was offered by the Anal
gamated association. The American
Tin Plate company have only one non
union mill. They requested the priv
ilege to make a special scale for this
mill and sign the same. This was re-
fused and the company was given to
understand the men in all tin mills
would be called out even though the
scale had been signed for all other
tin mills The privilege requested
above would settle all differences be-
tween the tin plate company and the
Amalgamated association"
In giving the effect of the strike or
dered, President Shaffer said the first
Tder went only to mills of the three
eC,lpanies that have been carrying on
negotiations. The order for the others
will follow in a circular sent to every
lodge of the Amalgamated association
in the country where there are mills
Of the United States Steel corporation
in operation. 1t would include the
mill of the Federal Steel company,
the National Steel company and the
National Tube company and wherever
there are organized men employed IN
non-union plants of the first mentionej
companies. He could not give
the total number of men thus rem
dered idle, but estimated 10000 di-
rectly, and probably 100000 would be
Indirectly affected. 1t was his inten-
ton to have the strike as general as
possible at the earliest possible mo-
ment.
One Strike Ends.
Reading, July 1.-THE strike of
1900 employees of the Reading Iron |
company, including the tube works, |
Ninth street and Obey street mills, and |
the sheet mill has ended, after having !
lasted ten weeks. The men met yester- |
day afternoon aud when the PROPOSE |
ton of vice-President Smink was sub
mitted to them it was unanimously de- |
cided to accept the offer. !
The new scale of wages will be the
same as that paid by the company in
August, 1899, which was the boom
period in iron prices. Puddlers re-
ceive 81 a ton and other trades are
paid in proportion. The men go back
to work tomorrow in all departments
which are in readiness to resume.
The union is not recognized, but all
strikers will be taken back and none
will be Disseminated against.