The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-07-02
THE FUTURE is MENAClNG
Hundreds of Thousands of Men May
Join tho Strike.
THE TRUST AND THE UNION NOW At WAR
Refusal Of the American Sheet Steel and the
American Steel Hoop Companies to Sign
the New Wage Scale Precip-
itated the Strike.
(By the Associated Press.)

(By the Associated Press)
Pittsburg, Pa, July 1.--As a result Of
the refusal of the representatives of the
American Sheet Steel Company and the
American Steel Hoop Company, subsidiary
companies Of the great United States
Steel Corporation, to sign the workers
new scale at Saturdays conference, cir
culars were sent out from the National
headquarters of the Amalgamated AssO-
citation of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers
yesterday and today declaring strike at
all the plants of the two combines. The
great strike is now on, but it will be
several days before it's actual extent is
known. At the outset, however, over 35,-
600 men will be involved.
What the strike just inaugurated may
eventually lead to is prOblema teal Three
months ago when a strike occurred in the
wood plant of the American Sheel Steel
Company at McKeesport, because the
company refused to allow it's men to be-
come members of the Amalgamated AS
sOciation, President Shaffer threatened. if
the McKeesport strikers could not win
with their own strength he would order a
strike in every plant of the company. II
The latter would not yield he would then
cail uue The union men in every plant of
the United States Steel Corporation. Such.
course would now end in the biggest
strike the country has ever seen, involv-
ing several hundred thousand men.
For the first few weeks the situation
will not show the strength of the assO-
citation. Almost all the plants of the
company union and non-unon, will be
oil C1,, n ri
part of July to give the men a rest They
have been working steadily since the first
of the year. many of them without
weeks cessation. Union and non-u union
alike are demanding a short vacation,
and the prediction is made that the COM
panies Will be unable to keep anyone at
work for two or three weeks after to-
, morrow. The heat is intense and the
men, one e-president said today, are
almost in state OF revolt.
1t will be after, perhaps, the first Of
August when the combine makes Sc
rious attempt to start up in full that the
real battle will begin if no settlement
has been reached at that time. The COM
pany cannot well delay operating longer
than that, on account OF the present
floods of orders. In fact the urgent Or
ders now on the books can scarcely wait
through July. Thus the association has
almost month more to prepare for the
coming struggle. 1t is the boast OF the
Amalgamated Association officials that by
that time they will control 80 per cent OF
the capacity of the combined plants.
Gradually the plans Of President T. j.
Shaifer of the Amalgamated Association,
are being uncovered. Since the trouble
in the w. Devices wood mills in McKees
port few months ago, the Amalgamated
Association has been actively engaged IN
breaking up the present arrangement OF
the combine of operating parts of their
plants with non union men and the others
with union men. Mr.. Shaffer says that il
this is not checked, the life of the Anal
gamated Association is threatened for the
combine will always work their union
mills last and the union men will be suf-
ferers by this discrimination.
It was believed by the Amalgamated
Ase ~ that the promptness 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 a boon to further ag-
gressive action on the part Of the organ
lied workmen Taking advantage of the
new United States Steel Corpora tOn as
the parent head of all the other combines
with which the Amalgamated 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 everyone Of the non-union
plants to be unionized.
Thus is arrayed against the union or
ganization the two branches of the United
States Steel Corporation. The scale for
the American Tin Plate Company, also a
part Of the greater corporation has bee.
struggle continues, the Amalgamated
officials have the power to call out these
tin plate workers as means of defense
against the parent corporation. which
they hold responsible for all disagree
ments. The stock now threatened in the
bar mills, following SO closely upon that
OF the sheet mills has therefore q most
serious aspect and may spread to enor-
nous proportions.
Indeed in some circles, it is predicted
that the gigantic struggle that has been
talked of since the organization of the
United States Steel Corporation was
formed, is on the eve of breaking out,
and that 1t is coming much sooner than
many believed was probable.
The position that the greater combine
is placed in, practically frees the inde-
pendent plants from completely in the
battle. The fight is not for wages, but for