Evening star., 1937-03-07
10000 AFFECTED
IN STEEL PAY HIKE
Carnegie.IIIinois Usually
Sets Pace for Entire In
dustry in Wages.
~ the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
PITTSBURGH, March 6.-"Big
steel" extended its wage expansion
program to all of the men in the mills
tonight with a 10 cents an hour in
crease for skilled and semi-skilled
workmen.
The Carnegie Illinois Steel Corp,
biggest subsidiary of the United States
Steel Corp, announced the fiat in
crease would apply to the higher work.
ing classes-hourly, tonnage and piece
work employees.
Last Tuesday it had announced
t5-a-day minimum wage and 40
hour work week for all, with time and
one-half pay for overtime. The men
now ire working 48-hour week.
Officials estimate approximately 90
per cent. or more than 10000 of Car
aegie-nlinois' 10000 workers, are in
the skilled and semi-skilled bracket.
the other Z per cent embraces COM
mon labor.
The increases will be effective
March 16.
Carnegie Illinois, producing approx
naately 80 per cent of the Nations
Steel, usually sets the pace for the
rest of the industry in both prices
and wages.
Not to Avoid Overtime.
The company also agreed "for the
present" not to hire any additional
men as means of avoiding payment
On overtime for all who work more
than 40 hours week.
- The announcement came after a
day of conferences between the man.
Sgement and Grievance Committee
representing the employees representa-
Gon group, who carried their conten-
lions to President Benjamin F. Fair
less after the company recognized the
dohn L. Lewis Committee for Indus
TRIAL Organization last Tuesday
9 Figuring also in the development
HAS conference during the day be-
tween President William Irwin of
United States Steel and Chairman
Philip Murray of the steel workers
organizing committee
: The developments climaxed an act
I've day in this so-called industrial
workshop of the world" which saw
Lewis drive to organize the steel in
dustry spreading into the heart of the
Nations aluminium industry.
The biggest unit of the aluminium
workers union, at the nearby New
RanSinptnp r11o Of ha 111r, inn,
Co. Of America, broke away from the
American Federation of Labor to fol-
low the banner of industrial unionism
Aluminium Convention.
Backers of the aluminium movement
called a national convention for April
IL in New Kensington, 25 miles from
Pittsburgh, to draft constitution for
an international union to affiliate with
Lewis c. I. o.
On the steel front the Carnegie
Illinois agreement to keep the men
working on a 48-hour week (the aver
age for the industry now is AZ hours)
was made after the employe repre-
sentatives complained that workers
would receive less money a week If
hours were reduced to 40.
The question of adjusting wages for
workers in the higher pay brackets
came up at the Murray-Irvin meeting.
The union leader was understood to
have suggested a fiat increase of 10
cents an hour would be an easier way
to settle it than by taking up each job.
A joint committee of union and
company representatives is to meet
next Wednesday. 1t will draw up a
written agreement on working condi-
tions, application of wage rates,
hours, rules and a method of adjust
ing disputes which might arise from
the recent agreement in which the
company recognized the Steel Work.
ers' Committee as a collective bar
gaining agency for its members.
Funds in A. F. of L. Dispute.
At New Kensington w. B. Gravatt,
president of the Aluminium Workers
Union, announced that the dispute
with the American Federation Of
Labor involved union funds amount
ing to approximately $4,000.
A similar raise by other steel pro-
ducers would increase the annual pay
roll of approximately 1896, 100000 by
S120,000,00O. A s75,000,000 increase
was granted last November 16, putting
the total to the highest mark on
record, the Iron and Steel Institute
reported.
Under the new scale a common la
borer now receiving 5212 cents an
hour makes $500 for a 48-hour work
week. If he continues to work 48
hours, as the company indicated he
would, his pay would amount to
L,