The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1909-02-24


union s known Is the feheriSins
teEp- This practice 4 pFohfbited py
the Acts 81 Assembly qf the State ef
/ Penny which require paynent
4 N fun 81 me amount 81 Vases oreartis
ing - cash. The purpose Of the union.
IL desiring 10 make the operators
agents for the collection Of dues 4
well understood, The United Nine
Workers of America have always heenl
liable to maintain a large membership
in the bitnminous sections with much
ssiess dIfticilty than they have IN; the.
anthFacite regions, n an arrangement,
such A. Is PROPOSED, were IN operation,
the dues would be withheld from the
wages Of the anthracite mine worker
and he would maintain his member
ship IN the local union. The practical
operation Of the checking system
would be to force the operators TO aid
in maintaining an organization which
at any time might become antagonists
70 their interests. Apparently, tlier4I
Is no more reason for the operators
granting this demand now than there
was SIX or even three years ago.
The Board Of Cancellation, which
the mine workers want abolished, Is
one Of the fruits of the work Of the
Anthracite Coal Strike Commission. II
Is provided that the board shall con-
sist Of six members. three OF whom
shall be chosen by the operators ana
a like number by the mine workers
Thus constituted. the board afrords a
forum where an employee who has
grievance against his employer may
enter a complaint and obtain prompt
and impartial hearing. The. publIshedI
report Of the board shows that of 1901
cases before the tribunal in three
years, lis were finally disposed of, ten
were stlll pending, and 20 were refer
red to an umpire. Seventy cases were
either not sustained. or were with
drawn; II were sustained; Q were not
sustained but employment was recon-
mended; IL were settled through tho
influence OF the board. OF the cases
referred to the umpire, 4. were sus-
tanned or partially sustained; 10 were
not sustained, and q were sim pend
ing. The absence of delay In action
is shown: by the. statement that "A
hearings were held or action taken
within one month. SO within two
months and s7sin a longer time.
Would Abolish Cancellation Board.
In cases relating to the re-employ-
ment after the strike, the umpire,
Carroll D. Wright, generally con-
Guided his decision in this Language:
THE opinion is therefore rendered
that all OF the men employed at the
time of the strike in 1902, except
those who have been convicted for
crime committed during the strike,
or who are StIll under arrest, or toI
whom employment cannot bs given
on account of new machinery, on
who are incompetent. ought to be
preferred to new men in giving ont
work, when they apply therefor .
When members of the Board Of Con-
Citation are unable to agree, the
case is referred to the umpire, who
is appointed by the judges of the
Third Federal Circuit Court of PENN
sylvania, and the umpire's decision
is final. This bit OF judicial ma
chinery could hardly be improved
by the appointment of mine commit
tees to take itsiplace. The policy OF
the miners contemplates the crea-
ton of Board of Cancellation for
each of the three anthracite dis
itricts, to which cases shan be con-I
ferred when the work of the mine
committees in Ineffective.
Action already taken by the In
dianapolIs convention raises an is
sue at the very start. In 1906 the
men with whom the operators con-
sented to negotiate were In fact rem
resentatives of mine works in the
ahLhFaclte districts, the only possible
exception being Mr.. John Mitchell,
the chairman and spokesman, hut
even Mr.. Mitchell was selected by
the convention OF anthracite work
ers at shamokin. Now it Is propos-
cd that the operators shall meet
and treat with delegation from the
United Mine Workers of America.
Possibly the operators may receive
a subcommittee comprised of the