Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-16
OPERATORS REFUSE
WAGE DEMANDS
OF COAL MINERS
Offer New Plan in Central
Field, Which SCaIemen
Quickly Reject.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
CLEVELAND. Ohio. August 16.-
The bituminous coal operators of the
central competitive field in refusing
the miners demands for S2-a-day
increase for day and monthly men
and 10 cents ton for pick and ma
miners a proposition agreeing to cor
rect the seeming inequality of the
present contract by advancing the
wages of the day and monthly men
the equivalent of the coal commits
Sion's award to the pick miners.
giving the day and monthly men an
increase estimated at from 80 to ~
cents a day.
The operators will consider no other
demands made by the miners. in
Guiding the 10 cents per ton asked
for pick and machine mining.
Miners Reject Proposition.
The miners received the operators
reply in a joint conference of the
scale committee and unanimously re-
jected the proposition.
A subcommittee of two operators
and two miners from each of the
four states was then named ana
went into a joint conference to con-
slider the situation. John l.. Lewis,
president of the United Mine Work
ers of America, and William Green,
secretary-tresurer of the organiza-
ton, attended the subcommittee
meeting as ex-officio members The
meeting was presided over by Michael
Gallagher, a Cleveland operator. who
is chairman of the joint meet. The
other members of the joint scale
committee were to await the cali OF
the subcommittee.
Under the award of the bituminous
coal commission the pick mining rate
then existing contract. The day and
montsly men were advanced but 20 per
cent. This inequality the operators
agree to correct by advancing the
wages of the day and monthly men the
equivalent of the pick miners.
Vice President Miller of the Illinois
Operators Association said the opera
tors offer would give day and monthly
men an increase estimated at from 35
to 7e cents day, pending upon the
district taken as a basing point. The
Hooking Valley district has usually
been taken as such. Using the Hook
ing Valley field as basing point, the
operators proposition would mean an
increase of an average of so cents a
day to the day and monthly men. he
said.
Meet ut President's Request.
The operators reply to the miners
demands. presented last Saturday in
Joint conference of the field scale COM
mittee. follows:
THE operators of the central COM
petitive field, at the request of the
President of the United States, have
met with you to consider and correct
any inequalities which may be mu-
tually agreed should be adjusted that
til <t.-ks ~
contract which contract was based
upon the award of the bituminous coal
commission.
The propositions presented to US
by you have been carefully consid
cred in accordance with the sugges-
ton of the president in his call for
this meeting.
''The only contention made by the
United Mine Workers of America
upon their execution of the present
contract was that the wages of the
day men and monthly men had not
been advanced in the same proportion
as the advance given the tonnage men.
Basis Of Committee Findings.
THE basis upon which the commits
sion made its findings was the con-
tract effective in 1918. showing that
vance Ill per cent, while the tonnage
men would advance but IS per cent.
while correct as to figures, this
method was a distinct departure from
the established custom of the miners
and operators in determining the rel
the various classes of labor; the es-
tablished custom being to fix the pick
mining rate and to measure all other
labor by the percentage of such adj
vance or decrease
"Under the award of the bituminous
--S-
was advanced q per cent over the
existing contract. The day men and
monthly men were advanced but 20
per cent.
This seeming discrepancy has
caused much dissatisfaction among
the day labor in some of the districts
OF the central competitive field, re-
sulting in the closing down of mines
and curtailment of production so
necessary at this time. A majority.
however. Of the miners of the central
competitive field have continued at
work and are carrying out the con-
tract.
Operators' New Plan.
In order to conform to the estab-
lished custom long practiced Of fixing
wages, and to prevent any further
curtailment of production at this
ume,. the operators will correct the
seeming inability of the present con-
.iaSt ny advancing the wages OF the
day men and monthly men the equiva-
lent of the advance to the pick
miners
They will consider no other mat
ters'
The operators subcommittee was
named as follows: John Donaldson
and William Henderson of Western
Pennsyivania. NJ. l.. Gould and p. H.
penna OF Indiana, e. c. Searls and H.
Z. Perry, of Illinois, c. e. Maurer and
G. c. Weitzel, of Ohio.
The miners on the subcommittee
are: Robert r. Gibbons and William
largest of Western Pennsylvania.
Edward Stewart and William Mitch
OF Indiana. Frank harrington ana
Harry Ffshwick Of Illinois, John Moore
and Lee Hall of Ohio.
After being in session an hour the
subcommittee adjourned at noon until
2p.m.
1000 COAL, MINERS RETNRN