Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-27
In Case of Deadlock.

Asked whether the union men always
voted as unit when present he said
they did with few exceptions. In case
of a deadlock, the board standing three
to three, an umpire is called into the
case usually the United States commits
sioner of labor. Thus controversies
get by the board without settlement
Apart from the question of the equity
of the decision the board certainly af-
fOrds method of settlement which
otherwise would be lacking. The miners
make no definite proposal of subst-
tute for this process of settling incidental
disputes.
From the point of view of the labor
leaders the most important question.
transcending that of an increase of
wages. is union recognition, carrying. as
it does, the collection of dues for the
union by the company. or the "check-off,
as it is commonly termed.
when we had our conference with the
operators i'm New York, ;" said John Demp-
sey, district president of the union at
Scranton. and we pressed the point of
the check-off. we We're met with the OBJ
lection that such system is against the
law of the state We admitted that the
states statute does forbid any deduction
from pay of an employe, but we pointed
out the fact that in the western part of
Pennsylvania the check-off is in force,
although the statute prevails there as
we'll as at Scranton.
THE operators admitted that the
check-off is practiced in the Pittsburgh
district. but claimed that they could not
agree to write a contract in illegal terms,
even though others might have done SO.
We tried to impress upon them the diff
ficulty of making our men understand
why something that could be done In
western Pennsylvania could not be done
on the hard coal districts OF the same
state.
Methods of Check-Off.
LAS a matter of fact continued Mr..
Dempsey, THE check-off is practiced in
some respects here in the hard coal re-
gion One of the big coal corporations
checks off from the weekly pay of the
men the money they spend for car fare
going to and from their work, the coal
mining corporation controlling the car
line. Furthermore, Notwithstanding de-
malls some of the companies MAINTAIN
company stores. where the pay of the men
is locked against for supplies. L can d.
rect YOU to one of these stores which, as
l happen to know, is run, though under
another name, by one OF the coal mining
corporations, and this company checks
off every Saturday the amount of each
mans purchases at this store"
Whatever may be the showing of the
labor leaders on the score of the IN
consistency of the refusal to do in eastern
i
In western Pennsylvania, or the lncon-
sistency in refusing to collect union dues
while the companies collect car fare and
grocery bills. it may be safely predicted
that the check off system will not be adopt
ed by the operators as long as they can
hold out against such an innovation. They
are determined to resist this demand to the
uttermost. And in their refusal to adopt
the compulsory collection OF dues for the
union the operators have the secret APP
prevail Of a large percentage OF the min
ers themselves, who, as rule, far prefer
the present system, whereby they can
save at least half of their union dues
every year without losing their status
as union men.
Used for Trading Purposes.
Until the union changes its laws in re-
gard to the payment of dues they are
quite willing to drift along as intermit-
| tent members and thus in the present is
sue they are not disposed to talk about
striking for anything else but more
money They care nothing ABOUT the
demand for the abolition of the concilia-
| ton board In fact, with the exception
IF few who have lost their appeals to