New-York tribune., 1921-02-17
Ship Plants
Pay Cut May
Hit 100000
vaee Reduction by March |
/ Likely to Affect That
Number of Workers in
Yards of United States
uany Concerns Acting
voyement to Bring Down
Cost of Vessels Expected
To BE a Nationwide One

r., March /. it is expected. wages will
~ hsen reduced for every class of
is'r a.. snnloved in American shipyards,
sgs' -snair plants and allied industries.
saY saYail probably more than 100000
y m.~saIs m will be affected by that time
p .bs reduction in pay, which IS an
is;,;s; step in the general plan TO re-
anss the costs Of ship construction and
fsgSi.;l @sile il was stated recently that r
-,.s an the question of reducing pay
..,~la Wv, be taken in the shipyards OF the
s.,antie Coast Shipbuilders' Associa-
s.ss no announcement has been mtde
" s,'4 9ss Of any balloting Indications,
s9.eyer. are that reduction of about
fSs ,S ner cent will be put into effect in
,sp Yards Of the association on March
n the Delaware River district alone
r.ars than 25,000 workers will be af-
/ 10 per cent cut is already in eff
f.et in the plants of the Bethlehem
ssinbuildirg Corporation. 1t was an
saunced several weeks ago that repre-
Ssntatives of the men and of the COM
nsnv had met and that an agreement
TAI been reached for a reduction in
wages, subject to q referendum to the
men. The date set for the vote was
F.Srnsry 8, the reduction to become eff
fectivs on February IA, provided the
men indorsed it.
Labor Does Not Fight Cut
In connection with the vote taxing,
however, the men are reported to have
insisted on balloting in the shipyards,
While the representatives of the COM
rany are said to have decided that the
balbting was not to be done in the
plants, but outside. Following the dis
agreement on this point the company
mt the reduction into effect last Mon
iay, and, with the exception of one of
The plants, no opposition has been re-
ported on the part of the men.
Another large concern which has put
wage reduction into effect is the New
port News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Company, at Newport News. Va. For
seme weeks past a reclassifcation of
the labor employed there has been
ahdsr way for the purpose Of regarding
the men among the various crafts. In
some cases the effect has been to give
employees higher scale of pay, but
the general result has been redTc-
ton Of about Is per cent, affecting
sbout $4,000 men.
Twenty-nine ship repair plants in
the Norfolk. Va. district have already
made reductions in wages and prices
Of work Merrill, Stevens & Co., who
operate repair yard at jacksonville,
Fla. have cut wages 20 per cent. This
reduces the pay of boilermak car
penters. maehinists, riveters and paint
era from 80 cents an hour to Ga cents
and laborers from as cents an hour to
81 cents.
Reduction Made at New York
4 cut that will affect the cost of
snip repairs in the Port of New York
has been announced by the Master
Blacksmith's Association here. repre-
senting about thirty jobbing forge
shops in the port. Notice has been
served on the unions that, beginning
February %, the wages of blacksmiths
heaters and helpers will be reduced 10
cents an hour, representing an average
reduction OF approximately 15 per cent.
The blacksmths have been paid 90
cents to Sl.lS per hour. heaters So cents
10 ~ cents and helpers Ga cents to IS
cents, the scale being graded on the
SIZE OF the fires on which the men were
working.
In industries allied with shipbnilding
ana snip repairing there have also been
reductions in labor costs.
IN response to a gu stionnaire sent
oat by the New \ ork and New Jersey
9Fanch of the National Metal Trades
ASSOCIATION, about $50 replies have been
received. indicating that employment
+ 1 about 40 per cent below normal.
tSsge reductions are stated to have
oeen quite general. the decrease aver
agins about 10 per cent, and affecting
aSeat $4,000 workers.