22 1] THE STANDARD R.\TE 89 



mills working at low rates, and urged the necessity of estab- 

 lishing uniform prices for each branch of labor to prevent 

 employers from forcing wages to the level of lower priced 

 mills in the district, and recommended the adoption of uni- 

 form district scales by district conventions. The conven- 

 tion authorized the vice-president of each district to call a 

 district convention for the purpose of formulating a district 

 scale for all mills in the district, and an article was inserted 

 in the constitution to this effect." For nearly ten years the 

 Amalgamated Association adhered to the policy of district 

 scales.® 



These early district scales, however, did not cover all 

 branches of work. It was difficult to make them uniform, 

 and the rates originally applied only to the leading men of 

 the crew. In 1879 scales were arranged in conference with 

 the manufacturers for scrapping, knobbling, shingling and 

 muck rolling. Such workmen as bar mill heaters and 

 catchers, roll turners, and mill hands wxre still without uni- 

 form scales of prices.^ Two districts in particular were 

 unable to enforce uniform district scales; the fourth dis- 

 trict, centering about Chicago, in which practically all of the 

 plants were steel mills," and the district east of the Alle- 

 ghanies, where a condition of demoralization in the ranks 

 of the organization persisted.^^ Special scales were drawn 



7 Proceedings, 1877, pp. 57, 76; Constitution, 1878, p. 22; Proceed- 

 ings, 1880, p. 469. 



* The eight districts wliich the Sons of Vulcans had in 1875 were 

 continued by the Association. The five districts of 1869 had been 

 retained, with boundaries somewhat changed, and three more added. 



» Proceedings, 1880, p. 343. 



10 The rail mill lodges held a meeting in Chicago in December 

 1880, but it was impossible to agree on a uniform scale, because of 

 "the different construction of mills and various other causes"; but 

 a satisfactory base price for the different mills was established 

 (Proceedings, 1881, pp. 561-562). Later a scale for steel-mill lodges 

 of the fourth district was adopted in convention, but it was not 

 strictly enforced (Proceedings, 1883, pp. 1183-1194; 1884. p. I340>. 

 The Association was never able to establish with any degree of per- 

 manence a scale, district or national, for the large steel-rail mills. 



11 In 1880 a scale was granted for Pliiladclphia, with a differential 

 of $1 below Pittsburgh, but it did not affect neighboring mills to 

 any great extent (Proceedings, i8«o, p. 349 ff- 1 for copy of the 

 agreement see Proceedings, 1881, Appendix). 



