Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-12
PENNA. STEEL TROUBLE
VARIOUS STEEL COMPANIES MAY
CALL LOCKOUT.


OF the bridge and structural iron workers
against the Pennsylvania Steel Company Is
unchanged. with no immediate prospect Of a
settlement. 1t is stated that possibly the
various steel companies may agree upon a
sympathetic lockout to sustain the Pennsyi-
vania company. which would result in a
general suspension of steel structural work.
A communication explanatory of the diff
Guilty has been received from Mr.. Frank
Buchanan, president of the International
Association Of Bridge and Structural Iron
Workers by Mr.. Charles w. Winslow, sec
rotary of the local association, which IL as
follows:
''Since ordering the strike against the
Pennsylvania Steel Company find that the
company has proceeded to use that old
weapon, in causing misleading statements
to be circulated among our striking MEM
bers for the purpose of creating dissatisfac-
ton and dissension, thereby weakening the
forces of our association and permitting
the company to do the work prompted by
greed and avarice The Pennsylvania Steel
Company has written a lengthy letter to our
members on strike, telling them that they
should be informed as to the cause of the
strike. They suddenly became much inter-
ested in the welfare of our membership.
This letter Is misleading and untruthful as
a whole. The company first tries TO i'm
press upon you that you have been asked
to favor the personal schemes of the man
who first issued the order (Mr. Buchanan).
LAS was stated in the letter, / visited
Harrisburg and held a conference with Mr..
Rynders. superintendent of the bridge de-
partment, on June 10. Mr.. Rynders re-
fused to take up the question that l went
there to consider by arbitration or any
other way. / asked him If we could not
meet on central grounds and settle the mat
ter peaceably, and he replied that he would
not consider the question which our
sanitation was contending for in any man
ner.
II returned to headquarters and on June
II l wrote a letter to the executive board
explaining the facts in the case and asking
their approval to take action against this
company to force them to treat fairly with
the Harrisburg branch Of our organization,
and asking them to wire me their reply. On
the 14th had received reply In favor of
calling a. strike against this company from
all the members Of the executive board,
with one exception, from whom l received
no reply. Not desiring to be hasty In
gard to this matter then notified the locals
that the decision of the executive board
was to strike the company on jobs unless
they settled by Monday. June 10. l also
notified Mr.. Rynders on June ~, explaining
to him that unless he complied with the
established rules of the Harrisburg organ
izatfon that our members would discontinue
working for the company elsewhere. /
ceived no reply to this letter. He then
writes that l wrote him an insulting letter.
Visited the Work.
He told me in Harrisburg that this job
would not last more than a week ten
days, and that 1T would not amount to much
or anything. / visited the work and found
that instead of a week or ten days job 1t
was six weeks or two months work for
a about twenty men. In my letter to Mr..
Rynders / stated that he had misstated
facts to me in regard to this job which was
only saying the truth. and IL telling man
the truth is an insult / may have insulted
Mr. Rynders, as the facts proved him to be
a fabricator. He also states that the com
pany Is engaged in other work beside the
construction OF bridges We making
no objection to the company engaging in
them to employ our men on the erection of
structural steel work.
Mr.. Rynders states that no fight is won
nowadays unless the winning side has the
support of fair-minded men. I agree with
him. and claim that the position of the
Pennsylvania Steel Company will not be
supported by fair-minded men and that
the position of the international associa-
ton in this matter commands the support
of fair-minded people, and that our associa-
ton will bring this contest, in short time,
to a successful termination.
Mr.. Rynders tries to impress you that
one man was the instigator of having me
visit Harrisburg. The records of No. 80
show that the business agent was in
structed to wire me to come there and
take the matter up and when he states
that the president and secretary of the
Harrisburg local. in my presence, agreed
that our members would not do the work