The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-31
Expect Months Suspension in All Fields at the
 Very Least
STRIKE WILL COST
 $1,OO0,000 PER DAY
Members of Union Do Not Anticipate Trouble-Believe the Miners Will Accept Action of Represent
 tatives at Cleveland

Cleveland, D., March S0.--While po.o00 anthracite and bituminous miners pre- pared to quit work tomorrow at midnight. when their present wage agreements ex- pire, the operators and union officials to- day took steps to make as brief as pos- sible the stoppage of coal production. The 17000O anthracite miners in Pennsylvania will stop for an indefinite period. but arr rangements were completed today for b re-opening of negotiations to settle their wage dispute. The operators and miners conference will take place In Philadelphia, April 10. A months suspension in the anthracite mines was believed probable.
 Get Slight Increase
 The bitumnous miners, after n Il days conference with the operators here made an agreement which will give them a slight increase in pay. As their agree- ment. however. must still be ratified hy the unions policy committee and then by a referendum vote of the union, suspen- sion in the htuminous mines will begin pending the result of the final vote.
 Reports to the heads of the United Mine Workers of America indicated the bitu- mlnous wage agreement would be accepted generally.
 It was said the suspension in all tns mines involved would cause a loss in coal production to the country of 41,90o,ooO tons a month and the men will lose in pay 8, ,O00,0o0 every day they remain out
 The advance in pay to the bituminous miners will amount to more than $5,O0o,00J year increase over their present pay.
 The scale gives the men an increase of cents a ton for the mining of lump coal and a proportlonate increase for all other kinds of labor.
 Details Undecided
 How long the men are to remain out and under what conditions the referen- dunn vote is to be taken are details left | to be decided by the unions policy come mittee The demand of the men for a five hour day on Saturday was rejected i and the settlement of local difficulties was referred to the local unioni, The wage agreement in the centratSom- petltiye field. which was fixed today, n the basis upon which agreements ard fixed for the other states.
 The contracts of the southwestern field provide that the men shall give 6O days notice before suspendng.
 The non-uidon miners not involved in | Kentucky. Alabama West Virginia. Cens 1 tral Pennsylvania and Tennessee are said | 10 number 300,ooo. In Kentucky about one l fourth of the miners are unionized; in l West Virginia 5000 union members make contracts for 10000 workers and 60.00o arc not unionlzed. Union contracts in Wyo- ming, Montana. Washington and Colorado do not expire on April 1. Unions Statement l The unions policy committee tonight l issued statement that 1t formally had ratified the bitumlnous wage agreement. | The statement says
 "In addition the joint interstate move- | ment has been rehabitated and the rela- | tions of operators and miners again re- l stored to reciprocal basis. Arrange- ments will be made to have the referen- dunn vote taken immediately There Is little doubt that the miners will vote 1 overwhelmingly in favor of the new | agreement.