The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-11-03
The Miner and the Union
Facts From the Fields
For WASHINGTON Times
Continued frem First Page.1

teentinned frem First Page1
cure strike breakers, preventing the
employment ef privately armed guards
during labor disputesj and such other
Legislation as will be beneficial to the
| members of our craft
THE union has always made good
,, Its promises to it's members-that IL
why both American and foreign mem
bers stick during a strike" an efneiel
Of the union told me.
The dues of the miners are collected
| through the company office. The
| dues for the local usually are about
| 80 cents q month, The miners pay
90 cents . month to the international
| organization. They formerly paid 20
! cents, but IL WAS doubled last spring
The miner, through his union, has
quicker redress for real or imaginary
| wrongs done him than possibly any
class Of worker.
The pit committee 10 the official
| grievance committee OF the local
union. It II named By the union
and II composed Of three miners, one
or more Of whom shall be able to
speak "a. English language.
| Where there are differences arising
between the mine boss and one or
more miners, the pit committee han
dies the matter. In most cases the
committee meets the mine boss or
superintendent at the close Of the
days work and differences are settled
at once.
Rever.ea Decisions.
At times the union will override the
pit committee. This is true in cases
where the miners are aliens who have
/ been In this country only a short time
and do not realize the importance OF
abiding by the decision of the COM
| mittee they elected.
The union in the present crisis 10
going to have it's greatest test.
/ talked with many foreigners
plicit confidence in their leaders. They
do not understand much that r. done
by their officials, but they have faith.
The union has held out the follow
ing attractive program which 1t
promised the miners would be theirs
| If they would stick together:
"a six-heur Aay and Ave-day
"A substantial Increase fer all
classes Of mine labor.
aThe naturalization Of coal
mines through Congressienal &c
tion
"Co-operation instead Of esnpe-
tftion in the coal trade.
The free and unrestricted right
| to unieniHe under Government
control.
| sThe right to bargain with the
Government.
| The United Mine Workers of Amer
lea was born twenty-nine years ago
| The first year of the organization's
life saw 20,912 members. For nine
years it struggled to live. At one
time, in 1896, the membership was
only e,617. but in 1899 there was 8
membership of 81 1857.
From 1900 until the present tims
there has been a healthy growth. The
membership jumped in 1900 to 1852
In, September of this year the mem
bership was 434,9S7.
The miners unions became popular
when their leaders made good theil
promise to get wage contracts from
| the operators thai would NEAR
shorter hours, more pay, and better
homes to live in.
| Thirty. years ago miners worked
| fourteen to eighteen hours a day.
81 used to go to work at o'cloch
every morning and work until
o'clock that evening" a miner whc
had seen service in several fields told
| me.
No waGe Co.traets.
| When the miners were organized in
| 1890 there were no wage contracts
with the operators. Organization wa.
followed by campaigns for wage
| tain districts. Hours Of labor were
reduced from an average Of fourteen
| to twelve. In 1896 the hours were
| reduced to ten.
From 1898 until the present time
| contracts have been made between
the miners and operators every tws
| years.
A campaign extending to an held.
was made in 1897 for the wage con.
tract to begin the following year anc
continue in force two years to max.
| provision for an eight-hour day.
| Economists and operators said 4
would cripple the coal industry" 5
mine union official told me- THE,
predicted it would bring on an in,
dustrial crisis"
The miners won the eight-hour day
Production per man increased.
81 don't care how hardened a mar
Is at mining, he is of little use afte,
he has put in six hours" a miner o.
| more than tWenty-three years practi.
cal experience declared. The sam,
thing will happen IL the working tim,
Is reduced to six hours-there will b,
increased production.
| "Of course, this means that mineri
must be given regular work for 800
days in the year"
Many Days on.
The Bureau OF Mines has issued
statement showing that miner
worked on. an average 2061a days
year from 1918 to 1918. inclusive. Las
year, under the pressure of war tim,
conditions. they worked 224 days il
the Ohio fields, go days in Illinois
249 days in Indiana and $50 days IL
Pennsylvania.
The soft coal miner will produce OF