The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-31
HIGHER U. s. STEEL WAGES
SOME INCREASES DECIDED ON
AND MORE MAY FOLLOW.


Company Paad IsS ssIInsns On wages Last
Year ana Maintained the Advanced
wages SG I007 TIsro1gh and AGter the
PNnae-n Doesa'1 surfer Prem strtkes.
The managers Of the United States
Steel Corporation are considering propo-
sition TO make q general advance in the
wages OF all employees other than high
salarSed officers. Very few Of these
employees arc union men and there have
bssn no threats Of strikes from employees
In any of tho many mills OF tho company &.
But The employees have ~ much dlficulty
a. others Ia rec0nciling current wages
with tho coss % living and the PROPOSE
doc before the management is q voluntary
increase similar 20 that declared by the
Pennsylvania Railroad on Tuesday.
what has been dons In regard 10 the
proposed incrsase could not be learned
from President Corey yesterday nor from
other high officers in this city. Judge
Gary was out Of town. But 70 was learned
elsewhere that u has already been de-
cided 70 put into ~ofect Dsw and higher
scales Of SMgss In sOms plants or in come
dspartmsuts Of all plants. The officers
and directors consider . rather general
advance advisable. but have not yet
dseeTmined on either tho extent or the
amount % the advance. II WA thought
likely that the company would follow the
same policy a. that pursued In isO2. when
instead Of q general advance at one time
wages we're advanced by degrees In one
min after another. only tho coming
advances. 10 they are made. will not DO 50
radical. In IeO7 O 10 per cent, increase
wa given Co more than 10000 men.
The Steel Corporation. which In the
biggest corporation in the world, has more
employees than has any other and the
biggest payroll. Ths average number
Of men employed by it last year was
iss, 500. but business was much better
az the end Of the year than az the begin
ming. and on December 81 last there were
on the payrolls 77s.s77 employees. The
aggregate amount disbursed in wages
last year was tlsI. go ,sss.
The Steel Corporation almost alone OF
all the companies In the same trade main
tanned its wage schedule during and after
the panic. Most Of the others made cuts
Of about 10 per cent. q year or % after the
panic. or whsn the trade war and open
market were declared. Ths only saving
in the waGs account in the hard times was
in the reduction Of thu number OF the en-
ployoes. In addition 90 this exceptional
treatment employees have benefited
from the company's bonus system, from
participation in sales at stock At easy
teSms and from q psnsion system.
A year ago q strike for recognition
OF the unions was declared in tho mills
% the tin plate and sheet steel subsidiaries
Of the company. The strike soon petered
out Neither In th0se nor any Of the
other mills 10 the idea OF recognition OF
unions taken into account. which il the
fact which sst President Gompcrs Of the
American Fedora ton Of Labor at war
against the company. Mr.. Gompers has
encIeavored TO organize the employees
under his banner but has met very little
success.
An increase Of Q per cent. such as that
declared by the Pennsylvania. would
mean an added expense Of So.OoO.OOO a
year according 20 the amount disbur-ed
in wages last year. The Pennsylvania =
increase adds " .sOO. 0OO 60 it, expenses.
Il has not besn determined. however.
90 increase wages in the same way a. did
the Pennsylvania or in "a great a ratio.
hut IL IL assured that no greater proper
ton than the Pennsylvania will bs de-
clared