100 ASSOCIATION OF IRON, STEEL AND TIN WORKERS \^2^2 



define it in the scale. Such practice has been fixed largely 

 by protests on the part of workmen against innovations. 

 In 1875 the puddlers successfully fought on attempt to 

 make them wheel their own cinder, ore, and " fix," and to 

 rfemove ashes, so as to dispense with certain laborers ; and 

 the advantage thus gained accrued to the workmen of other 

 mills in the district. ^^ 



Attempts to require the men to see that furnaces were in 

 proper conditions for " heats " and to look after them when 

 the heats had been drawn was a source of much friction. 

 In 1878 twenty-five cents extra was demanded for " putting 

 up a hot fix."^* The constitution of 1888 states that any 

 boiler found putting "jams" or "checks" in the furnace 

 with brick or fire clay should be fined five dollars. '^'^ Simi- 

 lar regulations were adopted governing the prohibition of 

 certain extra tasks in the case of other w^ork. For example, 

 the practice of sheet-mill heaters assisting in changing rolls 

 was discontinued in 1880. In 1899 it was provided that 

 rollers should be paid two dollars, and roll hands a day's 

 wages of common labor for changing rolls. The same year 

 a rule was adopted that " any tin roller or other member of 

 his crew who should clean, grease or change rolls or other 

 castings," should be fined for the first offense, and expelled 

 from the union for the second oflFense, unless such work 

 was paid for. There were many similar instances. 



The most important rules defining the worker's tasks 

 have from time to time been inserted in the printed copy of 



"« Vulcan Record, 1875, no. 16, p. 31. 



5* Proceedings, 1878, p. 169. Puddlers were generally expected to 

 see that the furnaces were provided with " fix " before eacli heat. 

 By " fix " is meant the mixture that was used to line the inside sur- 

 face of the furnace so that the molten iron would not eat through 

 the walls. " Hot fix " was molten metal used as " fix " and had to 

 be heated first. By using " hot fix " a better grade of product was 

 made. 



5' The "jam" is the wall-like partition which allowed only so 

 much heat to come in contact with the iron. This rule was not in- 

 tended to prevent a puddler from putting a ball of fire-clay in the 

 "jam" during the week in order to keep his furnace working; but 

 to keep puddlers from doing the work of furnace builders, espe- 

 cially on Sundays (Proceedings, 1888, p. 2263; National Labor Tri- 

 bune, June 23, 1888, p. 4, June 28, 1890, p. 4). 



J 



