New-York tribune., 1920-03-21
Coal Miners
To Decide on
Strike Tuesday
Advance in Wages Must Be
Made Retroactive to Avert
Walk Out, Is the Warm
ing Given to Operators
10000 Men Affected
Sub Committee in Farley
Over Pay Lose Hope of
an Early Settle IN e n t

The threatened strike of anthracite
coal miners came a step nearer reality
Yesterday when the general scale COM
mittee served notice on operators that
a final decision on a walkout would be
made ON Tuesday. The committee did
not term the possible action of the men
a strike. but merely referred to it as
"a suspension of work" pending the
outcome of the negotiations for new
wage scale.
The immediate danger of the strike
was made manifest in yesterdays meet
ing of the scale committee. The men
were in session for three hours and
were almost unanimous in the belief
that the miners should quit work when
their present agreement with the opera
tors expires on March 81 unless what
ever wage scale agreed upon is retro
active. More than 10000 mine work
ers will be affected by the comMittee's
final decision.
Hasty Action Combated
There might have been final action
on the question of strike yesterday
by the committeeman had not officials
OF the miners UNION uTScU LueU nOI 10
be "too hasty" in deciding the question.
1t was decided to wait until Tuesday in
the hope that in the mean time some
definite action will be taken toward an
award to the bituminouS workers.
Thomas Kennedy, president of District
7, United Mine Workers, presided at
the meeting.
When the ultimatum Of the scale
committee was announced at the meet
ing of the subcommittee of miners
and operators appointed to negotiate
new wage scale the operators would
make no comment upon it. Mine own
ers, it is understood, are solid in their
opposition to the entering into of any
agreement with the workers to make
the award retroactive if the men re-
main at work.
"If we give wage advance to them,"
one of them said yesterday, eve will
have to raise the price of coal to grant
it. And we can't make the price of coal
retroactive"
Members of the subcommittee said
yesterday that they had abandoned all
hope of reaching an agreement on the
award by April l. Their progress, it
was said, has been slow to date and
held up by much lengthy argument.
Important Problems Ignored
Questions of wage increase, shorter
hours and recognition of the union
have scarcely been touched on yet, and
the subcommittee is waiting for a de-
cision in the bituminous situation be-
fore launching fully into debate on
these problems
eve will wait till Tuesday for the
bituminous award" Philip Murray, in
ternational vice-president of the United
Mine Workers, said last night. eff
nothing comes out of Washington by
that time it will be up to US to make
our own contract and forget about the
soft coal situation.'
Operators are planning to insist that
no alteration be made in the working
hours for the anthracite industry, say
ing that change of working schedules
would mean more overhead charges and
in other ways affect the cost of pro-
duction.
At the close of yesterdays session
the subcommittee issued the following
statement:
The subcommittee of anthracite
operators and miners met to-day and
continued the consideration of the
mass Of figures presented by the miners
covering the increase in the cost of
living and its relation to the request
Of the miners for increase in wages.