Denver labor bulletin., 1917-07-21
mime OPERATORS
REFUSE TO MEET
LEADVILLE MINERS
Continued From Page One,

the lack OF auxiliary benefits in the
Leadville district.
In order to conciliate and compro-
mise, we asked them to reduce their
request to a fiat advance of so cents
per day, which the delegation agreed
to recommend to the workers. and we
think there is no doubt that they would
have compromised on this basis if the
Mine owners association had agreed.
Two members of the Mine Owners
association, in an effort to help us
avert the strike, proposed that your
concllIatlon committee and two MEM
bers of the state industrial commits
sion act as board of arbitration to
decide as to whether an increase in
wages was justified.
This Recommendation was ap-
proved by the representatives of the
mine workers. These two members of
the Mine Owners association went to
Leadville, and held long conference
with the Mine Owners association
Yesterday, but only with the result
that the proposal was fatty declined.
IF we had entered into an arbitra-
tlon board we would of course have
gathered statistics bearing upon all
phases of the question, not only in
Leadville but in all other metalliferous
camps in the state.
However, we have already assem-
bled great deal of information and
comparative data, and your commits
sion respectfully states that they con-
slider the compromise offer of so cents
day by the mine workers to be en-
tirely fair and very well within their
actual needs.
Mediators Powerless.
1--WE also certify that they and their
~ &c q tot iva H., ,,nt, E.
minded attitude at every meeting and
upon every question and suggestion we
have proposed to them. We respect
fully report that two members of the
Mine Owners association have met US
in fair effort to avert the strike.
"The strike is called for Saturday
morning next at o'clock. Your COM
missioners feel that they are power
less to do more. We await your ad-
vices, and hope if you can make any
suggestions that we may have them
immediately"
President Charles H. Meyer, presi-
dent of the miners organization, has
sent a report to the chairman of the
Leadville union reviewing the nego-
tiations for the settlement, placing the
responsibility for their failure upon
the mine operators. The Leadville
miners are assured that the organiza-
tion will have the backing of the in
ternational body in the event that it
is decided necessary to call the strike.
President Charles H. Meyers COM
munication to Cloud City Union, Lead
vile, follows:
| Meyers Report.
Denver, Colo, July 12, 1917.
Mr.. Tom Owen, Chairman Executive
Committee, Cloud City NJ. u. No.
33, l. u. of M NJ. & S. w, Lead
vile. Colo.
Dear Sir and Brother: For the in
formation of your committee I beg
to submit the following report:
Since the return of your committee
to Leadville, after the holding of the
conference with the government con-
ciliators at Mr.. Reeds residence, sew
eral other conferences were held be-
tween the conciliators and Messrs.
Lawson, Cohan and myself represent
ing the miners. AS a result of these
conferences, Mr.. Lawson and myself
were urged to visit Leadville and per
sonally request that the strike which
had been called for Saturday, the 14th
inst, be postponed for at least a
period of ten days. This we agreed to
do, with the result that the union de-
cided to postpone the date of putting
]
days, making the date Saturday morn
ing, July 81, instead of the 14th. Since
our return from Leadville, conferences
have been held between the concilators
and your representatives, and on Mon
day, the 10th, a joint conference took
place at Mr.. Reeds residence, there
being present Mr.. Nicholson and his
partner, Conciliators Reed and Mus
ser. Mr.. Lawson, Mr.. Cohen and my
self.
After lengthy discussion of the
situation, Mr.. Nicholson proposed that
the question of wages at issue be sub
mitted to a board of arbitration to
which your representatives agreed, and
proposed that the arbitrators be Sc
lected as follows: The mine operators
to select two. the men to select two,
and in case they failed to agree. that
the president of the United States
should select the fifth, and that the
award of the board should be binding
on both parties at interest. This was
agreed to by Mr.. Nicholson and his
partner, and Mr. Nicholson suggested
that the four members of the board
should be the two members of the
state industrial commission and the
government conciliators, namely,
Messrs. Reed and Musser. To this
your representatives readily agreed
and Mr.. Nicholson and his partner
proceeded to Leadville, where we are
advised they laid the proposition be-
fore the Mine Owners association and
that the same met with fiat refusal.
Workers Conceded Much.
We therefore find the present status
OF the situation to be that the repre-
sentatives of both the union and nom
union men of the Leadville district,
and the representatives of the Inter
national Union of Mine, Mill and Smell