United labor bulletin., 1912-03-07
SETTLEMENT RETURNS
MINERS TO WORK
One Thousand Union Men Will Take the
Places Of the Strike
breakers.

ernoon between the offcerS OF the Amer
lean Fuel company and the United Mine
Workers of America which settles the
strike in eight Of the largest producing
mines in the coal camps Of Northern
Colorado. Wednesday 800 men returned
to work and in ten days LOCO strikers
will be back in the mines.
It is decisive victory for the union.
The men are given an Increase Of 3
cents ton on run Of the mine and
per cent increase over the day wage
scale Of 1908 and for yardase, dead work,
etc. The Louisville, or uniform, scale is
adopted in all OF the eight mines. The
: miners have been oontendins for this
uniformity for years.
The Louisville and Lafayette unions
ratified the agreement and the unions in
the other. camps Will do so.
The strike commenced on April /,
1910, and the American Fuel company
officers and union leaders state that u
has cost them jointly $l.000,000 in loss
of wages and business.
ID. w. Brown, Yice-president of the
Rocky Mountain Fuel company, said
"Our position is the came as 1t has been
in the past We adopted a policy which
going TO adhere to that policy. Our views
have not changed in the least We
might recognize the union a hundred
years from now. but not at present We
do not feel that the settlement is going
to affect us in the southern fields, where
we have a number OF Mines
The Rocky Mountain Fuel company
has ten mines in the northern fields.
and the capacity has been from 5000
tons TO $500 tons daily. according to
vtre-President Brown. The mines are
j tacuisville. Lafayette. Marshall and
e,Nor. They employ 2.2oo men
sN2tn the 1000 miners go to work In
pany there will be from COO TO 500 strik.
ers still out OF work.
After the strike was first called there
was a row between the operators. and
the Northern Coal and Coke company
cut the price OF coal from IS a ton to
s375. All OF the operators had to meet
the reduction. The differences between
the operators was patched up and the
price was raised TO IS again. About
year ago the Rocky Mountain Fuel com
lpany added another quarter and the
A525 rate has been maintained until re-
Heptly. when s. was made the price,
Che Rocky Mountain company sought
the aid of the federal court several
weeks ago by filing a petition for an In
were In a state OF lawiessnoss. Federal
Judge Lewis has refused to set date
forsa hearing on the petition until after
the Jury trials are over, This will be
some time after March II.
The National Fuel company. or Van
Mater mine. has not yet signed up with
the union.
The agreement between the miners
and the American Fuel company is to
run two years, or until April /. 1914
Sixty DAYS before that date notice is to
be given OF the expiration OF the agree
ment and conferences are to be held 10
renew II or make such changes as each
side deems advisable. II at the end OF
sixty DAYS no agreement has been
reached. the agreement signed Monday
shall continue in effect until one is
reached.
The agreement of 1905 is adopted with
the changes and increases agreed upon
at the conference Monday. The agree
mont states that the miners on strike
shall have preference for work ana are
TO be put to work three days after the
agreement was signed. In effect 1t
means that tho strikebreakers in the
eight mines OF the American Fuel com
pany will be discharged as soon as the
union men are ready to go back to work.
Under the Louisville scale. or 1908
agreement. the old prices paid were Ssls
cents a ton for loading after machines
in veins over six feet: 431 cents ton
for loading after machines In veins un'
der six feet; 62 cents n ton for pick
work in veins over six feet, and 6sss
cents n ton for pick work in veins under
six feet. Three cents per ton TO these
prices are added by the agreement OF
Monday.
The day wages under the 1908 agree
ment ranged from $3.50 for 1remen.
fal.- ~
chine runners. The majority of the men
averaged SO a day. Under the increase
of 3 per cent for this class of work.
. the operators announce that the men
will average s3.15 per day.
The efforts OF the miners organization
TO put through the uniform scale in All
of the coal camps was one OF the chief
factors in bringing about the strike.
These are the mines operated by the
American Fuel company. Centennial,
Matchless and Electric at Louisville.
Capitol and Senator at Lafayette, FOX
Mt Marshall, State at Erie, and Evans at
Frederick. The non-union men ut work
in these mines were notified OF the
agreement and given two days to secure
employment elsewhere. 1t is expected
that many OF them will go to the mines
Of the Rocky Mountain Fuel company.
The eight mines Of the American Fuel
company will be able to produce about
3o0, tons of coal daily when working at
capacity. The union men VIII plan
vide campaign to give support to the
operntors who signed the scale.
The agreement was signed by John r.
Lawson. international beard member OF
the United Mine Workers OF America
for colorado; william Crawford, secre-
Mry. and Frank Smith. president OF DIS
ATsict No. Is, and David T.. Evans, presi.
dent and Miss NJ. II. Vaughan assis.an,
secretary. signed for the American f"e'
company. 81.
John McI.cnnan. president of the Colo
RADIO state Federation of Labor, TOOK
mart In all of the conferences Presi-
Srnt Frank Smith and Secretary William
Crawford step down and out on April 1.
,.x,ttt, rof,,sad IN ha n candidate for re-