The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-03-10

The runners, drivers and doortenders
employed in the Mt. Pleasant mine.
which was recently purchased by l.. l..
Fuller, quit work yesterday morning
on account of an alleged grievance with
the company. For some time the work.
men employed in the mine have had
trouble with water in the Surface vein
in what is known as the New shaft,
which has heretofore yielded about 175
cars Of coal per day, causing a drop
to about forty cars.
The output of the mine is from 500
to $50 cars each day for eight hours
work in both the Main and the New
shaft, and in order to keep up the regu-
lar output, it was necessary for the
officials to throw more work into the
Main shaft. The drivers have been
driving "fves," or, in other words
making five trips each working day Of
nine hours, and sometimes they did not
| drive that many, as the miners do not
always fill the regular number of cars
assigned to the different chambers.
Since the trouble has arisen with the
water in the New shaft, additional
work has been made for the miners,
drivers and doortenders, but it will last
| only until such time as the repairs can
| be made. The company pays the men
for nine hours work, and instead Of
! them working overtime. many of them
are out nearly every day before "all
! over" as they term it around the
mines.
SCALE OF WAGES.
The scale Of wages paid is as follows:
! First grade miners, $1.5l; second grade.
! Sl.i5; team drivers, 81 80: chamber driv-
! ors, $1.1S second grade drivers, $l.05;
| helpers and first grade doortenders II
| cents; second grade, so cents. This scale
| is for nine hours work and if they
work overtime they get the hour rate,
and each one works an hour more each
day than the employees of the breaker
work, on account of the necessity Of
! bringing the coal to the surface after
| the miners are through with the cut
ting and loading part Of the work.
The men claimed that the additional
| work required Of them was an impoSi-
tion and refused to go in the mine yes
terday morning The work was per-
| formed by the miners. laborers and
| company men. and while the output
was not quite up to the usual number
of cars, the miners. laborers, company
hands and breaker boys continued their
| work as usual.
The majority of the miners and lab
orers are men of families and do not
want to participate in any trouble that
! will throw them out of employment
and the officials of the company will
not make any concessions aside from
wnat has already been made.
They claim that the men are treated
better than IN the majority of places
having been idle but one day in the
past three months. Besides. the COM
pany furnishes them with all the oil
and cotton used, which is a saving Of
about t. per cent. of their wages and
they already conCede them an extra
hour every day more than the breaker
employees receive and they are paid
accordingly.
POPULAR WITH THE MEN.
Superintendent James Neale, who has
been connected with the works but a
short time, is popular with the en-
ployes and does not anticipate much
trouble as a result of the movement.
4 prominent official connected with
the company stated to The Tribune rep
resentative last evening that the men
will be given until tomorrow morning
to return TO work on the same basis
that has heretofore existed, and that
the company simply desires them tc
drive as many trips in the nine hours
as is necessary to haul out the Goa
used each day. If they do not return
: to work their places will be filled by
new employees who apply for work
They have been fair with the men he
: said and they expect them to be rea
sonable with them.
The employees who have quit worl
may influence the miners and laborer:
to join them and in that event it viii
. be necessary for the operators to shp
. down, but they do not anticipate sucl
= a movement
1 What the outcome of the matter vii
be cannot be determined hut the offi
cials of the company are determined
in their statement to employ new hands
: to do the work unless the men return
=, tc work tomorrow morning.