Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-10-27
COAL OPERATORS
GIVE THEIR SIDE
Of COAL DISPUTE
Producers in Colorado and
New Mexico Issue State
ment Bearing on Contro-
verSy With Miners Union,
10y SoHsno JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wssr

association has issued a statement
signed by President F. r. Wood, to in
form the dealers in and consumers of
| coal of the present wage conditions at
coal mines, and are appealing for pub
lie opinion to be expressed to congress-
men, After reciting the declaration of
the acting president of the United
Mine Workers of America, that the
government can't stop the strike, :"
and that all local unions in the coun-
try will be called out, the statement
in part follows:
The effect of this is to punish the BIZ
luminous coal consumers of the entire
nation as well as all of the bituminous
coal operators in the country, because
the demands made upon a limited
number of operators in the eastern
and middle states are not or cannot be
granted. And it has come to the place
now, where, according to the state
ment of Mr.. Lewis, even the govern
ment itself cannot prevent the calam-
ity of a nationwide strike at the very
outset of winter.
Briefly stated the demands of the
union are: % An increase of 60 per
cent of the present wages paid for day
labor and for piece work at the mines,
CD In addition to the money-increase
in day wages and piece work, that the
time worked by the mines shah be-
reduced to six hours daily and that
the mines shall not work more than
five days per week except in emergen-
cies. and for emergency work there
shall be paid time and a half for over
time and double wages for work done
on holidays and Sundays, Saturday to
be regarded as a holiday. CD That
mines shall not be worked double shift
except in emergencies. (4) That min
ers violating their contract shah notI
be required to pay any penalty what !
ever as is now the case. CD That in |
event the coal operators do not accept
all of the demands made by the union,
a strike shall be called on November /. |
We only recite the major demands
made by the union; the others are
omitted for the sake of brevity.
Part of the claim of the operators
that the union and mine workers still
have a contract running until March
81, 1920, is the agreement the union
and mine workers made with the gov
ornment through Fuel Administrator
Garfield and which Mr.. Garfield hasl
recently announced is still in effect.
iil0oS htllStlltlS VI iiAC ulllpll it Up
pressive, despotic and tyrannieal The
union cannot justify the claim for in
crease in wages concurrent with a de-
mand for decrease in hours. The wages
paid are sufficient and miners who
will work full time now make good
earnings There can be no logic in the
request for a decrease in hours of
work The working time at present
is forty-eight hours per week. They
now demand the working hours shall
be decreased to thirty but at the same
time they would require the operators
to pay 60 per cent more for thirty
hours work than for forty-eight hours
work on the present schedule.
A large, number of miners do not
belong to the union. They work in
"open shop" mines. But experience
has shown that in a crisis of this kind |
the non-union miners stop work from
fear. Furthermore, whatever wages |
and hours apply at union mines inva-
riably are forced upon the open shop
mines.
A schedule of the present wages and |
the proposed wages will be. added to
this communication, but in order that
you may see clearly what is proposed |
we will mention at this place that a
who now qets az % for |
aiobt honrss vorl, exnects To eet AZ 2S |
CO., si,, bor,e, ,yor,y
r. ebouId However no mentioned |
tbat tho intention of the union TO |
work six hours Gnstead of eghD will
not work out that way because the /
is not that the men shall
spend six hours in the working places,
but that they shall remain in the mine
ti,,,o not tbaire going from the
,,,o1tb ~ tho r,ina 70 tbair worlxing
Las ond hao1x 60 Il 10 estimated thaf
10 aot,ai ,rorl,ing time will NOT on
eaoa a totat If five bo1re re, dav or
,ga,,t,,- five boure nor week
cor,nntent minor willlng +o work
,on ,,org earn S950 nar ,,,ontb working
,iabt boure nor 1ov which avcaeds the
,,o,,t1,I,, o,,i,i,,gs of tba o,orooo doc