The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-08
STRIKE OF UNION
 MINERS IN EFFECT
 THROUGHOUT STATE
Last Midnight Time for Walk out---CommiSSion Assem- bling and Will Make Ef-
 fort for Settlement

1 The general strike call issued on Saturday by officials of the
 Alabama division of the United
 Mine Workers of America in
 response to instructions of the
 international president went
 into effect last midnight
 Before the day is well advanced it will
 be known to what extent the bulk of
 miners heretofore working will respond
 to the call of the minority that have been
 on strike at the domestic mines.
 Over fifty small mines and some larger
 mines, including those of the Alabama
 company are not affected, having pre- viously entered into contract with the
 unions approval. These contracts, the
 union men say, will be kept inviolate,
 but are subject to further arbitration
 and to being brought up to the terms | that shall be imposed hereafter in case the strike is won. Union officials claim
 there is a clear understanding with the operators, with whom these contracts
 were entered into as to this bearing. | LITTLE CHANGE | There was little evidence throughout
 the mining field of any change of status following the strike call. Many mines reported the usual production, some more | than usual. Union officials said they
 were not expecting any premature action | inasmuch as the strike call was clearly
 for midnight of Tuesday.
 l J. R. Kennamer. president of the Ala 1 bama union, calls attention to an error | in a telegram from Montgomery appear | ing in The Age-Herald yesterday, which
 was intended to read that MT. kennamer | had declined" to call off the strike, l but which the error made read had de | cided to call off the strike. MT. Kennamer, from the beginning, has | reiterated that he would not cali off the strike and everyone so understands, but l the error in print is understood to have caused a number Of telephone calls to 1 MT. Kennamers office.
 | Judge James J. Mayfield and former | Gov. Charles Henderson, two mem 1 bers of the commission named by the governor to investigate the strike, ar rived in Birmingham yesterday and se- cured rooms 322 and 324 in the Tutwier
 
 and conversed informally with gentle | men on both sides of the controversy. Yesterday afternoon they gave much time 1 to a conference with President Kenna- l mer and w. l.. Harrison, mine organizer,
 hearing the unions side of the case.
 HENDERSON SAYS Former Governor Henderson said:
 What we are doing today is of l preliminary nature. We have first to | Ia it,t t6a 0aG 60
 are trying to get at through personal | contact with the mine representatives
 and those of the operators. Just what | further course of procedure will be out 1 lined we cannot at this time figure on.
 We have no SxRassns as to the eern,nd out, ] opinions as to the matters in contro- versy The only outstanding feeling and conviction which we indulge now is that | a very vital matter is before us 1 Dr. Geo. %Denny. president of the state university and third member of the commission, will arrive in Birmingham | today and the commission will then sit | as whole.
 | The position of the union and the oper- ators remains such that, if maintained. no agreement between the contending l parties can be arrived at, The union has all along insisted that a representative | of the miners at large be injected into l l while the operators decline to have rep
 resentati<. other than those chosen by 1 their own workers from their own num- ! Der.
 | The strike call embodes recognition of | the union ipso facto.
 | The operators will not recognize the | union. This is the apparently insur- mountable obstacle to. any sort of agree ment being arrived at. | President Kennamer in his supplement l tai reply to the eovernor says: KENNAMER'S REPLY 'The operators association or organi- zation has heretofore refused to submit | themselves to the Jurisdiction of your ! commissions; and we are. therefore, at loss to understand how it. be possible that the commission can accomplish the purpose for which it was intended. "We do respectfully suggest as prac- tical and feasible method of the settle ment of the matters in the controversy that you as governor of our state call into conference representatives of the mine workers and of the operators as | recommended by the United States bi- luminous coal commission; and that it is our belief that if this be done and the conference held that an agreement will be reached; and having made the sug gestion we state that of course we are willing to enter into such conference"
 OPERATORS STATEMENT The opera tors say:
 We will not directly or indirectly deal
 with the United Mine Workers of Amer ica now or hereafter"
 All other matters the operators yield to consideration of the commission and agree to abide by their decision. The strike call has gone into effect with recognition of the union at issue
 Whether the majority will follow the minority is what remains to be seen. APPRECIATES AID !