Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-09-26

sell our steel at increased rates. We
cannot do that"
Mention was also made by the !
men in their twelve points of griev-
ances against a number of depart
ment heads which are common in
every shop, Mr.. Hildrup says.
About 500 of the 700 employees
of the establishment have gone out
on strike, officials of the company |
believe. More are leaving gradually, !
they admit. as work on furnaces is !
being completed.
All Will Close i
The strike will mean, officials !
say, that all departments will be |
forced to close, whether the work. !
men in them go out or not. There !
are several shops which are not
unionized, but which will be forced
to close as soon as their supply of
steel is exhausted. This is a matter
of a few days only, it is generally
understood
The strike was called about noon
yesterday by Capital Lodge, No. 103,
Amalgamated Association of Iron,
Steel and Tin Workers. The first
of the men left about 1.30 o'clock
and after that gradually throughout
the afternoon and night. Everything
was conducted in peaceful manner.
"Unfairness to organized labor on
the part of the employers" was yes
terday assigned by the strike leaders
as the reason for their action.
A statement of members of the
committee is to the effect that on
Monday they presented a petition of
twelve points to officials of the COM
pany. Yesterday, the answer from
the company came, ignoring the re-
quests of the workmen. 1t was not
hoped TO have the officials accede
to all of the points, some of which
were not especially favored by the
greater mass of the workmen, the
committee says, but that the COM
pany would grant at least some of
them.
Force Greatly Reduced
For some time last winter, after
the war orders had been filled, there
was talk of closing the plant, but
the management sent w. p. Starkey
to Europe in an effort to line up
orders and for a time prospects were
bright for a continuance of work on
a large scale. Cards were sent out
to the several thousand employees
who had drifted away from the
works with the close of the war, to
Apply lOI lnelT Olu pOSlllOTS IL lHey
so desired, but the big orders failed
to materialiZe and the working force
gradually fell away to about 700
men, many of whom have been with
the company for years. For some
time there has been talk of closing
the mills but the obligation of the
company to its men and to the COM
munity has been factor in keeping
the organization together, it was
said by company officials to-day, in
the hope of better business condi-
tions ahead. The statement of Mr..
Hildrup did not come as surprise
to men who had known the condi-
ton of the company.
Strikers Confident
The strike committee. on the other
hand, was in a very hopeful mood.
More men had gone out than was at
first anticipated and they expressed
the belief that the whole mill will
be tied up almost as rapidly as the
men finish the heats on which they
are now working. Workmen said
that there would be no disorder at
the works, their visit to the police
station having been made IN good
faith. All was quiet in the vicinity
of the plant this morning and there
was little sign of disturbance. The
strike committee is making it's
headquarters at the offices of the
Pennsylvania Federation of Labor.
The leaders were in good temper and
there appeared to be no personal
antagonisms on either side.
Four of the twelve points pre-
sented by the committee to the of
ticials of the company were of little
concern to the men, and they were
not especially anxious to have them
accepted. The remaining eight points
were to-day briefly summarized by
member of the strike committee
as follows:
1. Recognition of the union. 2.
An eight-hour day. 8. Collective
bargaining. 4. A standard wage to
meet the American standard of liv-
ing. B. Time and half-time for all
overtime and double time for Sun.
day and holiday work. 6. One DAVIS
rest in seven. Z. Sliding wage scale
feature. 8. Seniority rights to ap-
ply to all increases and decreases in
working forces.
Leaders of the strikers in reply
to question said that this amount
ed to asking for wages twenty per
cent. more than they are now re-
ceiVing for twelve-hour day for
the eight hours which they seek.
They are confident that they will
be able to conduct the strike to a
successful conclusion. OF the men
employed at the plant, they say that
approximately 400 men are enrolled
in Capital Lodge and they are of
the opinion that the number of men
included on the payroll is not in ex-
cess of GOO.
Practically every worker who is a
memb ber of the lodge is now out on
strike, according to the leaders.
Many other nonunion men, they say,
have gone out in sympathy. In prac-
tically every department, operation
is carried on with badl depleted
forces, according to the leaders, and
all, they believe, are on the verge
of closing. 1t is a matter of only
few days, they say, until the entire
plant is compelled to close.
1t was stated this afternoon by an
official that all departments of the
plant were in operation except the
open hearth and that a number of
| the men who had been forced to quit
work owing to the absence of some
of their fellows had expressed their
willingness to return as soon as they
were notified. There was no excite
ment about the plant to-day and
both the management and the men
have expressed a desire to avoid any
disagreeable conflict.
A committee of strikers yesterday
afternoon conferred with Mayor
Keister and Chief of Police Wetzel,
in reference to picketing regula-
tions. They promised to conduct the
strike peacefully.