The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-11
by gibson wrLLHTS.

God.
But mill workers pay the price in time.
For years in rolling mill tell upon men
like the climate of India. The first year
out, the British officer in the Punjab
stands up straight and grows fat, despite
the 100 degrees in the shade. The second
year he begins to wither, to grow thin
ner, to stoop bit, to walk with step
less brisk than formerly. At the end of
the third year he goes home on years
leave, emaciated, helped aboardship by
a servant, hands like claws, a wasted
body. Thus with the worker in the roll
ing mill-only compute the years thus:
For each year in India, ten in the mill.
OF the seven great companies forming
the United States Steel company, four
are union, two part union, and one non
union. The union companies are Ameri-
can Steel Hoop. American Sheet Steel,
American Tin Plate, and Federal Steel.
The part union-that is, those which
nave both union and non-union plants
are National Tube and National Steel
The non-union company is the Carnegie.
Each of these companies have from four
to dozen or fifteen plants-in Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio, and Indiana. OF the four
union mills all are on strike save one
Federal Steel. Shaffer will not call out
Federal Steel until threatened by a very
Waterloo. For the contribution of the
amounts to $4,000 month, and these
men must be kept at work as long as
possible, to nelp support those on strike.
Why were the men in three of the
union companies called out? l. The
American Tin Plate company agreed to
the wages and the working hours as de-
manded. But it has. not signed the scale
Of wages for the mill at Monessen, al
though the Amalgamated association mas
n M pio1 to of
to cover the special work done at this
mill-a rate which would be less than
that received by the workmen in any of
the other plants of@the Tin Plate COM
pany.
2 The American Steel Hoop com
pany agreed as to wages and hours, but
limited the agreement to those mills
which were recognized last year as union
mills. This company refused to sign the
scale for the other mills, even though
assured that the men were organized
and were forced to remain at work by
the Amalgamated officers during the re-
cent conferences with the manufactur-
erS. -..,- .-.i7.
g. The American Sheet Steel company
agreed to sign the scale and arrange for
working hours for the organized mills
only, and have required their employees
in non-union mills to sign an agreement
which prevents their becoming organ
lied, or union men, even if they so de-
sire
These are but three of the underlying
companies of the United States Steel
company" said Mr. Shaffer, 'wniIe our
constitution requires that our scales
shall be signed for all g the Companies.
But in our proposition, made at the re-
cent conference. we agree that, if these
three named companies would sign the
scale, whatever, contention we might
have with the remaining four companies
should not interfere with~tfle other
What says the other side niui .,,
l. The United States Steel company
cannot sign the scale for all mills, union
and non-union alike, because that would
mean their cooperation with Shaffer- to
force the men into the Anaigamated
association.
2 The majority of the non-union men
so the steel company claims, are not de-
sirous of connecting themselves with
the Amalgamated lassoeiations and for
that reason it would be unfair to sign
the scales.
This latter statement Is not substan-
t1ated by the men. Investigation re-
vealed the fact, that the majority are
willing and anxious to join the4Ama!ga-
mated association, and will do so II
granted permission by the company.
One evidence of this is that all of
those employed in the Steel Hoop COM
pany in the non-union' plants nave, since
the beginning of the strike, Voluntarily
joined the union. ranks.y1oW .svn C- ss
And with the coming in of these men
rose the question as to whether they
should share i'm the zStRikez fund For
there is rule that only those who have
been members OF the union at least SIX
months shall benefit by the fund The
advisory board of the Amalgamated as
ISOLATION has decided to- waive the rule
and give the new members equal rights
with the others. To make this possible
offers of financial aid have come from
all over the country, wherever labor is
organized. Men in the independent mills
that is, those notoin the United States
States Steel company, and there arc
about fifteen such in the union-haye as
sessed themselves, some agreeing to pay
10 per cent of their earnings, and others
one or two days wages each week. The
old union men, moreover, have notified
headquarters that they wish to be fur
Their assessed to aid the newcomers AS
to whether the strikers themselves favor
the strike, thousands of them have sent
to headquarters assurances of their
hearty Endorsement and support The
Amalgamated association can also count
upon aid during the strike from the
100000 members Of the American FEEDER
lated.
To understand the wage scale referred
to by President Shaffer would require a
course OF lessons. Leaders have been
working on it for twenty-five years, and
Shaffer himself worked on it In the odd
moments OF ten years, getting it into
its present form. 1t is comprised in a
pamphlet Of thirty-elght pages. The mai
ufacturers understand 1t, the labor lead
ers can interpret it; but among the work
ers, whose pay it regulates, not to one
In thousand is it comprehensive When
man is in doubt as to his wage, he
Journeys to Amalgamated headquarters
some one in that office marks a cross
on the page that interests that particu-
lar workman, explains and elucidates,
and the man goes away dazed and
henceforth guesses that his rate of pay
/ is according to Hoyle-anyway, he will
take the word OF those Who understand
the thing.
Il agree with J. Pierpont Morgan"
says Mr.. Shaffer This strike is one
that can scarcely be arbitrated, because
! it is one of principle -
To which might be added that as
mass, perhaps, workmen remember prln-
ciple and keep it holy. But individually
! mere is true story. In one of the steel
! plants three men called upon the man
! ager and Informed him that he was en-
ploy1ng too many apprentices that he
! was allowed only one apprentice Tor
| every five journeymen-or, in this case.
! about six in all-whereas the boys in the
mill numbered nine. Very good" replied
| the manager, six 1t shall be-, Now If
! so happened that three of the appren-
tices We're brothers of the three com
| mitteemen who had made the protest
! And it should be explained that an an
! prentice serves three years with nav