The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-24
U. S. STEEL RAISES WAGES.
TEN CENTS A DAY INCREASE FOR
COMMON LABOR.
To Take Erect Jan. I-Nesrly 10000 Mer
WIN BE Anected by the Advance -Ap
plies Equally TO Union ana Non-CniOf
Men The Advance was Unsolicited

~ AhAb EuNCt JAus M-TNrNEIy NUsUVV Nhrhi
WIN Re Anected by the dvanc APP
piles Equally TO Union and Nou-uniOn
Men The Advance was Unsolicited
E. Fl. Gary. chairman Of the board OF
directors Of the United States Steel Cor
poration. issued yesterday this
ment:
Common labor at the manufacturing
plants Of the subsidiary companies Of the
United States Steel Corporation will be
increased ten cents per day. commencing
January I, 1907; and day and turn b
will be adjusted accordingly. Notices to
this effect will be posted by the respective
companies about December I. 1905"
. Judge Gary said last night hat his formal
statement spoke for itself. While he
wouldn't say whether the advance had been
made voluntarily or as the result Of in
sistent demands from the employees. he
inferred that it was voluntary.
The raise affects all our employees,
whether they are union men or not he
said. Our agreements with the unions
expire on the date that the new wage scale
becomes effective, and they will then be
readjusted according to the general in
crease"
This advance applies to es 200 employees
who are classed as general laborers. The
total number Of employees is about 100. 200.
distributed as follows: Manufacturing prop
critics. las. 500; coal and coke plants. 20. 300;
iron ore properties. $4,000; steamship and
railroad lines, 1900, and between 5000
and 1000 in miscellaneous employments.
The total annual payroll Of the corporation
is almost $3.50. 600. 900, and the number OF
persons dependent for support upon the
wage earners of the plants and steamships
and lines of railway operated by the cor
poration is $50, 1000.
The advance in wages was unsolicited by
the men, and it il understood in the iron and
steel trades that the increase is a substantial
recognition hy the board OF directors Of the
loyalty Of the men through a year in which
every department of the industry has been
rln at the maximum and under conditions
that have taxed the powers Of all hands
from top to bottom.
In the depression Of the iron n steel
business which marked a considerable part
of 1903 the United States Steel Corporation
did not make any considerable reduction IN
wages. and although the sales department
booked large ~tonnages at the abnormally
low prices that marked the time, and these
contracts were in the main for shipments
six to eight months ahead, the general scale
of wages was advanced to the levels in
existence prior the reduction before the
rising market gave the average profits to
the plants.
The plants are now producing material
much below the cost of production in the
first year of the corporations existence.
This is largely due to economies in all de-
partments, the enormous ex penditures OF
the past two years in the installation OF
new apparatus and 10 the development of
the corporations ore and coal mines and
coke ovens. These gains have been made
during a period of advancing prices for
almost all the materials used in the manu-
facture of iron and steel. Az the corpora
ton is making an annual output Of slmost
10, 900 COO tons of semi-inished snd finished
materials, the net gain from these economies
and improvements is at least $50 600 900 a
year.
Since the organization of the company
in 1901 1920. 900 900 has been expended for
new construction, extraordinary replace
ments, acquisition and the ordinary costs
for upkeep. Extraordinary replacement
funds are used for upkeep of plants, entire
rebuilding and the installation Of new for
WORKOUT machinery.