Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-13
MINE WAGE BOARD
MEETS TO TAKE Up
SOF FOCAL SCALE
Men Expected to Ask In
crease of So a Day Over
Present Sc Maximum.

| BY the Associated Press.
! CLEVELAND. Ohio. August 10
| The joint scale committee of union
miners and coal operators of the CEN
! trail competitive soft coal field. COM
| prising Ohio. Indiana, Illinois and
western Pennsylvania, gathered here
| this morning by request of President
| Wilson to consider a change in wages
| for day or month labor in the btu
mnous field.
The miners seek to reopen the wage
| agreement made following the strike
| of last fall.
| President John l.. Lewis of the
United Mine Workers of America, who
reached here last night: William
Green. secretary treasurer and Philip
Murray, vice president, and thirty
two state or subdistrct officers were
| to present the miners case. Thirty
| two operators represent the en-
| ployers.
| The miners were expected to re-
quest that workers in the central field
| be given an increase of 81 day over
their present maximum of Sc Il day
! Jrpon the agreements made between
| the union miners and operators in
this section are based the union agree
mentS the country over If the agree
ment is reopened in the central field
new wage scales will have to be
| dra Wn up for all the other coal-pro-
ducing sections in the United States
and Canada.
Other Demands Likely.
1t is by no means certain that the
tonnage men will not also ask for
| an increase if the day laborers secure
new scale. one prominent Cleveland
| operator and member of the scale
committee declared.
To increase the laborers' pay to IS
would be giving them 80 Ia per
cent raise. which. with the 20 per
cent increase granted by the coal
commission appointed by President
Wilson. would grant them the maxi
mum demand sought in their last
convention here, last September.
Previous to the joint meeting. the
miners held Il meeting, at which John
L. Lewis president of the United
Mine Workers of America, presided
and discussed the situation from the
miners standpoint. The meeting adj
journed shortly before noon. after APP
pointing a committee of five to wait
on the operators and arrange a time
and place for the joint meeting.
E. c. SearlS, president of the Illinois
Operators Association, announced that
the operators would meet The COM
mittee of miners and arrange for a
joint meeting probably this afternoon.
Many Dny Workers.
Speaking for the Illinois operators.
Searls said:
We have come here with an open
mind willing to listen to any plan the
miners have TO offer. 1t would be i'm
possible for me to make any prediction
as to the outcome of the meeting
AT the miners meeting this morn
ing. President Lewis declared 81 per
cent of the men employed in the BIZ
luminous coal fields We're day work.
ers. and that they could not live on
their present wages of Sc per day.
The men only work about half
time. and they cannot exist on SIS a
week. The wage increase from So to
Sc per day last fall was not enough.
The men are entitled to more" Lewis
said.
He denied that an increase of 50
per day had been mentioned as the
figure they would ask at the joint
scale committee meeting.
The miners joint scale committee is
composed of eight members from each
of the four states and the president
of the state organization. Thirty
two operators represent the employ
erS.