94 ASSOCIATION OF IROX, STEEL AND TIN WORKERS [226 



scale, but it failed because of the variations in prices paid. 

 The East has always been an expense to the Association 

 without an}- permanent results. 



The union was never successful in establishing a uni- 

 •form wage scale for the workmen in the steel trade, particu- 

 larly in the converting and rail-rolling depurtments. Allu- 

 sion was made previously to the failure to establish district 

 scales for them. The workmen arranged local scales for 

 the various steel plants in which they were employed, dif- 

 fering according to equipment and working conditions.^" 

 In 1887 a special convention of steel workers formulated a 

 scale, but, following the recommendation of the steel work- 

 ers' wage committee, the convention of 1888 decided it 

 would be unwise to attempt to enforce a uniform scale at 

 that time.'^^ This practice of adopting local steel scales, 

 after they had been approved by a wage committee, was 

 continued by subsequent sessions. The Association lost 

 control of the steel mills after the Homestead strike of 1892, 

 and by 1900 the steel plants were weakly organized.'' 

 After the struggle of 1901, the steel mills of the United 

 States Steel Corporation were lost to the union. 



Since 1885 the policy of the Amalgamated has been to 

 maintain, west of the mountains, uniform prices for similar 

 work and conditions. Since 1893 the scale has provided 

 that. " whenever deviations from the Western Iron Scale 

 . . . are made," either they shall be corrected or " all other 

 mills shall receive the same."^^ This policy was carried out 

 in practice. For example, in 1894, the manufacturers as a 

 body failed, after many conferences, to reach an agreement. 

 A few manufacturers agreed to the Association terms, and 

 the scale thus signed became the union scale. In September 

 the scale was modified in some particulars in conference 

 with other manufacturers, and these changes, including cer- 



•''o Proceedings, 1886, p. 1756, 1825 flF. ; 1887, pp. 1922-1924, 1946- 



1947. 



•"" Proceedinps, 1887. pp. 2145-2147; Programme of Business, 1888, 

 p. 50; Proceedings, 1888, pp. 2221. 2275, 2337. 



32 Proceedings, 1899, pp. 5664-5666; 1900, p. 5909. 



3« Proceedings, 1893, p. 42.16; 1904, p. 71 13. 



