243] THE WORKING DAY III 



liarly well adapted to working conditions in the sheet mill 

 department. 



When the tin business began to prosper about 1890, the 

 union allowed the use of the three-turn system of operation 

 for tin mills.^^ In addition, the scale provided what should 

 constitute the limit of output for a day's work. It was fre- 

 quently the case that the crew produced the fixed tonnage 

 in less time than eight hours, particularly when rolling the 

 wider sizes of sheets. The manufacturer objected to any 

 interval between successive turns, during which the rolls 

 were allowed to cool ofif. They argued also that it was 

 prodigal to be obliged to keep the furnaces hot when the 

 mill was not running. Accordingly, they insisted that the 

 crews " follow out," that is, one crew should succeed an- 

 other without any loss of time. It was also pointed out by 

 employers that this method of working, since the last crew 

 would finish earlier on Saturday, would give the manage- 

 ment an opportunity to make any necessary repairs in the 

 plant. 



The union did not view the practice of " following out " 

 with favor. In the first place, the privilege — it was so 

 alleged — was abused. Certain mills were reported to have 

 finished the week's work by Saturday morning, and even 

 earlier.^** Such abuse, they reasoned, would, if continued, 

 lead to a request by the manufacturers for a removal of the 

 limit. As a remedial measure, the Association adopted a 

 provision that "eight hours shall be a day's work on tin 

 or black plate mills, said mills not to follow out except on 

 Friday and Saturday, when a full day's turn shall not be 

 made in less than seven hours and forty-five minutes."''^ A 

 penalty was attached — suspension or forfeiture of char- 



19 Proceedings, 1890, p. 3142. 



20 In 1903 the sheet department of Zug's mill, Pittsburgh, finished 

 the week's work "as early as midnight on Friday." The lodge of 

 which the workmen were memhers was found guilty of violating the 

 union rule in this respect, and ordered to give up the practice under 

 threat of having its charter revoked (Proceedings, 1903, pp. 6596- 

 6604). 



21 Proceedings, 1900, p. 5736. 



