The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-05-12
ST PAY FOR TWO
WEEKS WORK IN
The STEEL MILLS
Too Poor to Enjoy the
8-Hour Day

the Carnegie Steel Co., Subsidiary of
the U. S. Steel Corporation near here
recently drew $500 in cash for his
two weeks labor.
This was what remained after the
company had deducted rent, gas, wat
er, coal, and electricity for use Of the
company-owned house in the company
owned town of Mcdonald, Ohio.
The poor devil was so much put
out at this evidence Of lack Of appre-
citation for his services that he re-
belled and demanded - a cheaper
house.
Expense Figures JuggIed.
A favorite accounting trick Of the
corporation, is to juggle the expense
figures to show that wages consume
very high percentage Of the corporate
income, SO high in fact, that the work
ers are really getting as much as pos
sible. But when the wage costs of
certain processes are examined by
themselves, one wonders how the to-
tai wage costs can possibly come to
more than small fraction of the
selling price.
Operation of Steel Mill.
The Mcdonald mill is a so-called
strip milf which rolls comparatively
narrow and thin strips of steel, such
as are used in the manufacture of
automobiles. 1t is thoroly modern,
using electric motors and with prac-
tically all the handling of the steel
done by mechanical power. One of
the mills" in the plant consists of a
heating furnace and three trains of
rolls.
Steel Manufactured Practically Free.
A typical run" will start with steel
slabs" of about 1900 pounds in weight
and 10 feet by Is inches by 21a inches
in dimensions, and result in strips
perhaps 20 feet by Is inches by 1-16 |
inch. To get the steel from the in
coming railroad car in the billet yard |
to the outgoing car in the stock yard, |
passing thru the furnaces, thru three !
trains containing II pairs of rolls, !
over the ''hot bed" to be cooled, past
the "shears" to be cut to the desired
length, requires 81 workers. On
straight run" producing strips the |
same width and thickness, one mill |
can handle over 500 tons of steel in an
8-hour shift. On run where consider
able adjustments of the rolls must |
be made for varying widths or thick ;
inesses, at least 250 tons can be put |
thru. The wages of these 81 men |
amounts to $150.24 at current rates, |
or from about 80 cents to about 60 |
cents per ton, according to output |
(All figures of course, obtained from |
workmen, not from the company
Outrageous Exploitation.
Current quotations show a differ
ence of over $4,000 per ton $4,000 |
pounds) between pig iron and finished |
bars. Part of the manufacturing proc |
ess is done in the rolling of the slabs
before they reach Mcdonald mill. The
Carnegie company may sell the Nc |
Donald product much below the quo |
tations referred to. Nevertheless,
when they can get large part of the |
manufacturing process done for 3Oc |
per ton in direct labor cost, a condi- |
ton of tremendous exploitation is re-
vealed.
Joys of the Skidman's Job.
The daily wage for the S-hour shift
Of these 81 men varies from $400 for
laborers to $1,000 for the roller, ac-
cording to statements Of the work. |
men. One of the choicest jobs (the |
boss chooses it for the greenhorn) is |
that of "skidman." The furnace bed |
is inclined to facilitate the row of
some so slabs lying crosswise of the
furnace, one in front of another, be-
ing pushed thru from the upper to |
the lower end. The skidmen must |
perch on the upper edge of the fur
mace roof and by means of long bars
and hooks, replace any slabs which |
may happen to get piled on top of
the others.
For this pleasant occupation, in
which he can observe the beautiful |
hell of heat in the furnace and en-
terrain himself by smelling the variety |
Of escaping gases, the skidman re-
ceives the extra emolument of / cent
per hour over the so cents received by |
the ordinary laborer. The company
does not provide him with gas mask,
but so far as is known, every skidman
having been 'gassed." as often hap
pens. has thus far been carried away
by someone: proving that the COM