The San Francisco call., 1907-02-24
CHANCES INTRODUCED
At UNION IRON WORKS
Employees of Corporation
Now Paid Weekly In
stead of Monthly
OLD SYSTEM DROPPED
Boat Is Provided to Garry
Men Between Potrero
and Ferry Slips

The Union Iron Works is beginning
to feel the effects of the business meth
DDS which make the plants in the steel
trust appear as marvels OF the indus
trial system. John A McGregor, who
was treasurer of the Bethlehem Steel
Corporation. and who became presi-
dent Of the Union Iron Works last Sep
tember, has accomplished several re-
forms which approach the Eastern
ideal The 5000 employees OF the iron
company are paid weekly instead of
monthly. the brass check system Of
free boat has been provided to carry
men back and forth between the works
and the ferry slips, in order that work
men living across the bay or at North
Beach might not suffer the street-car
delays in getting to and from work.
The Union Iron Works has always
paid It's employees monthly. and after
having worked a month the men had
to wait an additional week until the
payrolls had been audited. Upon his
arrival from the East McGregor found
the monthly payment plan to be out
of date. He made inquiries among the
men and then decided to try the new
system. On Saturday, February Is,
the men were paid for their work from
February l to 8. Yesterday they were
paid for the week ending on the 18th.
A week is taken to audit the time and
accounts, but the men are paid four
times where they formerly were paid
once They seem to like the plan. Ac-
cording to McGregor's idea the weekly
payment favors the men in providing z
them with ready money for their house.
hold expenses and saves them from the
wiles of the money-lending sharks.
40 = III
in the matter of wage paying at the
works. Forty-three hundred men en-
tered the pay Office by FIVE separate
doors and were paid Off In 20 minutes
In addition the pay of the $50 men
working on the repairs of the steamer
Manchuria at Hunters Point was sent
to them in a launch instead Of being
held to await their arrival at the of =
fee.
The old method of the men hanging
brass check on a rack when they
went to work and taking it OF when
they quit has been supplanted by a
quicker system of time keeping. AS
the 5000 men enter the gates each sings
out his number and IT is entered by
the time-keeper When he leaves the
same rule prevails. 1t saves time and
labor on both sides.
The institution of these reforms, says
McGregor serve to bring the men and
the company closer together. The COM
pany is certainly busy enough to need
its men. The Manchuria will be in
the Hunters Point dock until May.
Other boats are waiting to get In there.
The Union Iron Works has just de-
livered the new ferry boat Claremont
to the Key Route and her trial trip
is said to have been satisfactory. OF
the three ships under course of con-
struction for the American Hawaiian
Steamship Company, the Mexican,
launched December %, will be finished
about March 10; about the same date
her sister ship. the Columbian. will be
launched. The Isthmian is on the
stocks. The first class armored cruiser,
California, launched two years ago,
will be ready for delivery to the Gov
ernment March 25. The South Dakota
of the same class is being hastened to
completion.