Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1906-06-21
SOME UNION USAGES
SHOULD BE CORRECTED
Suggests An Operator Re-
ferring Particularly to
Practice of Stopping
Work k Whenever a
Death is Annonc-
ed.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala, June 1S.
The United Mine Workers of America,
Alabama district No. 90, have offered to
the operators who deal with the union
renewal of the contract for mining
coal that has been in effect since 1908,
and several of the operators have sig
nified their intentions of signing con-
tracts. At the joint conference of the
union miners and operators held in
Gelders' hall this morning Ed Flynn
was selected as chairman. The opera
tors present were Col. T. G. Bush,
president of the Alabama Consolidated
Coal and Iron company; D. M. and
w, M. Drennen, of the Palos Coal and
Coke company J. G. Darlington of |
the Slocum mines Chairman Flynn
announced that he had received work
from B. F. Roden, chairman of the
committee of the Commercial Coal Op-
orators association, to the effect that /
his committee would be pleased to re-
ceive the committee of the union min !
ers on Wednesday. The report of the
scale committee of the union miners
was read. 1t recommended renewal |
of the present contract which has a |
sliding scale for mining based on the
average selling price of pig iron, rang |
ing from Az to 5712 cents per ton,
with iron selling from $8 to $11. 80 per
ton. Col T. G. Bush, the represen-
tative of the only iron company dealing |
with union coal miners, arose in the
conference Immediately after the scale
committee had made its report and an
nounced that he would receive COM
mittee at any time to sign scale. The
other operators present made the same
announcement The miners then ap
pointed committee to call on Col. Bush
tomorrow morning and on the Com
mercial Coal Operators association
committee Wednesday morning to sign
the wage scale and adjournment was
taken until Thursday morning. In
little speech before the miners, Col.
Bush stated that the miners with flush
times were not taking advantage of
every opportunity and were laying off
too much. He said that the compan-
les were anxious to get all the men
to work Just as much as they could
and that it cost Just as much to run
the mines with 80 per cent. of the
miners in the mines as with all of
them in. He said that the rules call
ing for the stoppage Of the mines when
there was death in the mining camp
worked hardship He said that on
one occasion he went to one of his min
ing camps and found that there was
idleness because of death, but when
he went to look around he ascertained
that many, miners were digging bait to
go fishing instead of attending the
funeral and that was not treating the
company right, he thought. The con
yention of the miners has decided to
request all locals to take steps to put a
stop to stopping off work except where
O fatal accident takes place in the
mines. The wage scale also recon-
mended that where a miner was sus
that after an investigation, if the com
pany was in the wrong for suspending
the miner that the latter be paid for
the time lost
There is no doubt but that all COM
panies which have been dealing with
the union miners will sign the scale
and there will be no interruption of
work at these coal mines Absolutely
no intimation was given at the meet
ing today that furnace companies not
dealing with the union miners will
sign the scale The union miners have
hopes that when Frank H. Crockard,
the new vice-president and general
manager of the Tennessee Coal, Iron
and Railroad company, returns from
the east that he can be approached by
the leaders and offered the contract
for signature.