Evening star., 1950-12-01
More Steel Concerns
Seen Ready 10 Adopt
New Wage Formula
BY the Assoeiated Press


PITTSBURGH, Dec. /. More
companies are expected to fall in
line quickly with the country's
two biggest steel producers who
have granted an immediate 16-
cent average hourly pay increase
to 259,000 members of the CIO
United Steelworkers.
United States Steel Corp. set the
pace for the rest of the industry
as it granted the raise yesterday.
At the same time Big Steel in
creased its prices about 512 per
cent.
That will just about provide the
additional $125 million pay to go
annually to it's 165 900 employees,
q company spokesman said.
A short time later Bethlehem
Steel Corp, the country's No. 2
producer, grant 4 its $4,000 en-
ployes an identical 16-cent hourly
average boost.
Bethlehem Steel didn't announce
its price policy Immediately.
However, it is practically Ger
tainty there will be general in
crease in the price of steel and
the countless products which are
made from it.
Republic Offers Raise.
Republic Steel Corp. at Cleve-
land, the No. 8 producer, says it
has offered the Steelworkers a
wage increase similar to that of
Big Steel. Republic also put a
price boost into effect last mid
night but did not reveal the
amount.
.. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. of
Pittsburgh, fourth largest steel
producer, scheduled a resumption
of it's wage talks with the steel
workers today.
A spokesman indicated j. & l..
will go along with the United
States Steel settlement pattern.
Philip Murray, president of both
the CIO and the steelworkers,
flashed the green light to his nego-
tiating teams to resume bargain
ing with 1,400 large and small
steel companies throughout the
country. Mr.. Murray left little
doubt he expected all of them to
sign quickly.
Runs Until 1852.
The steelworkers' contract runs
until January /, 1852. 1t contains
a clause which permitted it to be
reopened for wage talks this year.
Negotiations have been continuing
with Big Steel since last October
Is.
Much of the remainder of the
industry held back on negotia-
tions until Big Steel set the pat
tern.
Many thousands of white collar
workers and others who are not
members of the SteelworkerS are
expected to get raises in line with
that granted the powerful C1O
union. AS a matter of fact, United
States Steel President Benjamin
F. Fairless said this increase al
ready is in the works. .r
United States Steel,s agree
ment provides increases ranging
from IL cents an hour in the
lowest of 80 job classif1cations to
% cents an hour for the highest
classiflcations. Under the old
contract, the lowest paid
laborer - received
$1.18h an hour. The highest
paid, a blooming mill roller, got
$258 hourly.
Victory Is Claimed.
Mr.. Murray is happy about the
contract. He claims a victory by
getting Big Steel to agree to lower
the wage differential that had
existed between pay scales in the
North and South.
The old contract gave United
States Steel employees in the North
an average IA 70 cents more an
hour than those employed by its
Southern subsidiary, Tennessee
Coal, Iron & Railroad Co. of
Birmingham. Ala.
Now, the Alabama workers will
get an additional Az cents an
hour to cut the geographical pay
differential to 10 cents. Mr.. Muir
ray told all of his bargaining COM
mittees to maintain this 10-cent
differential as they resumed wage
&o1Ec fndav