The Ordway new era., 1907-08-16
WYOMING MINERS WIN VICTORY.
H'sssr Wages and Better Hour. erInn
Dove Of Peace.


cheyenne, Wyo.-Permanen peace
In Wyoming coal fields.
Eisht'hour workday effective Sep
tember ]. 1907.
wage increase OF approximately 20
per cent more for eight hours than
formerly paid for ten hours work.
Improvement In working conditions:
all along the line.
companies to furnish the check-oY
men, insuring union control of mines.
increase Affects 1000 men
wyoming fields completely organ
ized. the southern fields always having
been non.unlon,
These, In brief. are the terms of set
tlement agreed upon at the Joint con.
Vention OF members OF the United
Mine Workers OF America and the Cd
orators, representing every mine in the
wyoming district. II is one of the
greatest victories ever achieved lyy or.
ganized labor in the West and nuts the
wyoming miners on the same basis as
the well'paid fields OF the middle and
central West and the organized fields
OF the far East.
II Is also another tribute to the di.
plomacy OF the president of the min.
ers. John Mitchell. and their district
leader Thomas Gibson, who. together
with J. ]. Hart of the southern Wy
oming fields and James Gridley of the
northern. composed the final sub-com.
mittee that brought about an agree.
ment satisfactory to both sides. The
negotiations lasted four weeks. and at
no time has there been danger OF n
break.
]. J. Hart, representing the Union
Pacific mines and employing about
5000 men. has done for the miners
OF southern Wyoming what no other
mine manager has done for twenty
years in that field. and he has acquired
the reputation OF the great compra
miser."
The scale committee on both sides
was pared down several times in or
der to expedite the work.
The miners of the northern fields
have been organized for some time, bu,
the agreement is the first that has
been entered into In the southern
camps for nearly n quarter OF cen
tury. While the contract only runs fol
n year. 1t has paved the way for per
manent peace, as the demand for WY
oming coal is so great that there Is ne
danger of shutdowns or the necessit,
of reducing the force or the men.
wages.
The increase applies to every maj
who works around the mines, both n.
to hours and wages. and the working
conditions are changed. so that tn,
men will have vastly improved condi
tons.
Wages will be added to the roll
that will amount to hundreds of thou
sands OF dollars each year. and 1
means prosperity to Wyoming miners
1t puts them on the same plane as th'
Montana fields and leaves only Vir
ginia and southern Colorado miners
working under conditions which II
some instances are considered by tn,
miners leaders fit for dark age days
The 20 per cent Is figured as an nv
erage. rs the increase varies in tn,
different fields. and in different classe
of work. In some instances demand
were made that represented an in
crease Of % per cent. and these wer
granted. Other workers were In
creased 10 and Is per cent. and ever.
employe. from the smallest boy TO tn
hardest miner, comes in for some sor
of n raise.
The eight.hour day and the addition
OF the check-off men in the compan
Office are the two features that tn
men fought the hardest for. They sue
ceeded In having the eight.hour passe,
in Wyoming. but 1t was doctored s.
thoroughly that the first time 1t wa
put to a test it was declared unconsti
tutional.