The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-07-09
The Homestead Strike = Epic
in /. s. Labor History

sary of the great battle of the Home
stead strike, a milestone in the his
tory of the American working class.
1t marks the close of period of Or
gained struggle on the part of the
workers prior to the Goth century era
of justification and naturalization.
40 Strike Begins
The strike began on June 29th, 1892
and on July l the mills were COM
pletely shut down. An advisory COM
mittee composed of five delegates
from each of the eight lodges of the
Amalgamated Association of Iron,
Steel and Tin Workers was elected
with Hugh O'Donnell as chairman.
This body. organized the $500 men
into an army and a navy. Signal
systems were arranged with flags,
roman candles, and steam whistle
placed over the electric light works
which the advisory committee con-
trolled. The navy was made up of
CllC o1ColllCI lula dI1Q ~ o41icA4 INV
boats. Guards were placed by the
men on the water front, at the mill
gates, and along the highways lead
ing into the town.
On the second day a, little smoke
was seen issuing from one of the
stacks in the mill. A written notice
was sent to the mill to the effect
that it caused considerable excitement
among the men and unless it was
stopped the advisory committee could
not be responsible for what might
happen. The company ordered the
town sheriff to protect the mill prop
erty but when he arrived the union
guards themselves asked to be sworn
in as deputies. When he refused he
was hustled out of town. When he
returned on the following day with
IL deputies from Pittsburgh he was
again forced to leave town.
Prelude to Fight
At this time the Anaalgamated AS
ISOLATION of Iron, Steel and Tin
Workers was still controlled by rank
and file workers instead of by reac-
tionary labor takers as at present. In
the Homestead mill of the Carnegie
Co. there were eight locals which hal
considerable power in determining the
working conditions for the $500 steel
workers.
In 1889 there had been strike in
which 125 deputy sheriffs were lferced
to leave towns and there had been
sweeping victory for the workers
A tonnage scale had been established
based on the price of AKA steel billets
with the understanding that If this
price fell below $25 a ton the piece
rate would not fall below this point
The scale was made until June 80
1892 instead Of until January giving
the men the favorable season for re-
newing the scale during the tint
when it would be harder for the COM
pany to produce scabs and easier fol
the men to hold out. Every depart
ment in the mill had a workmen':
committee which had to be consulted
regarding promotions, replacement o!
men leaving the employ of the com
pany, assigning the shifts, altering o.
machinery. the amount of scrap to BIZ
used in loading furnace, and the
definition of the labor of assistants
The power of organized labor affected
Andrew Carnegies thirst for profits
so adversely that he recantsd his pre-.
vious statements in favor OF unions
and ordered notice to be posted tt
the effect that since the majority O.
men we're union, only non-unior
men would be employed in the future
Tricks Ultimatum
Meanwhile steps were being takei
towards consolidation of the variou
Carnegie mills under the chairman
ship of Henry Prick who had a no
torious reputation because of his hart
boiled and unprincipled treatment o
workers in coal mines and coke ovens
With this merciless trusty in com
mand, Carnegie set sail for Europe T.
dabble in philanthropy. Prick wa
determined that the union and a.
self government among the worker
should be crushed at no matter wha
cost. At the conferences for the ney
scale in Feb, 1892 Frick claimed tina
the mill was operating at loss an