The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-10-20
LOOK FOR STRIKE
 AT MINES HAVING
 BLUE BOOK RULES
Operators Appear to Hold Be- lief That Contracts, May Be Abrogated After Meeting
 Called for Friday

General expectation in in- dustrial circles is that follow ing the joint conference be- tween union miners and coal operators having Blue Book contracts called by the union for Friday morning, numbers of these contracts will no long CT be operative and workers will be called out of these mines by the union.
 This impression was gathered from the call issued and became more gen. eral following the statement given ou, by Van Bittner, international represen. tatives, on yesterday afternoon. Tn this statement MT. Bittner charges that. with very few exceptions, coal operators signing the so-called Blue Book agreement have repudiated this agreement themselves several months ago"
 He further alleges that many of the Blue Book operators have never at- tempted to comply with the President coal commission"
 This is accepted as a predicate for exacting additional terms from the Blue Book operators and making these contracts straight-out union affair or declaring strikes at these mines.
 Speaking of the call for the joint conference. Mir. Bittner said, on Tues day:
 BITTNER'S STATEMENT
 The United Mine Workers of Amer ica have issued call for joint con ference with all the operators in Ala bama who have not signed contracts directly with the organization It is the purpose of our union to comply with the written terms of every con tract negotiated between representa- tives of the United Mine Workers of America and the representatives of the coal operators.
 Many of the coal operators who signed the so-called blue book agree ments have never attempted to comply With the award of the Presidents bitu- mlnous coal commission. At many mines the committeeman have been dis charged and the coal companies refuse to allow the representatives of the United Mine Workers of America to hold meetings with the men. In fact. with very few exceptions coal opera tors signing the so-called blue book agreement have repudiated this agree ment themselves several months ago.
 The conference is called for the pur- pose of negotiating a contract directly between the coal operators and the United Mine Workers of America The coal operators will have the same rights in this conference as the repre- sentatives of the union and contract will be negotiated after both sides have agreed to it. Every indicat ton points to large attendance of coal operators at this conference and we have every hope that satisfactory agreement will be negotiated
 It is already rumored that some of the blue book operators will not re- spond to the call for the joint confer ence, but will stand on the blue book contract which reads: The provisions of this contract shall be in effect from
 
 31st of March, 1922"
 UNIFORM CONTRACT
 Speaking of the approaching confer ence, w. L. Harrison, international or ganixer, stated that the contracts were of local character and that the object of the joint conference was to make them all conform to a general agree ment to be arrived at. His interpreta- finn of no vro hat tt tation of the blue book contracts to a uniform standard to be approved by the mine union leaders.
 It is understood that the striking miners ar cnot satified at having part of the union linen at work and part idle It is believed that pressure has come from that quarter to have all in the same box with a straight-out fight for recognition of the union in toto and ex- not exacted under the blue book con- tract.
 The blue book contracts do not in themselves recognize the union, and are not with the union. They are with the men at each mine and the only con nection with the union is that whereby the miners at the mines working under these contracts have the right to representative" in the adjustment or grievances instead or the regular mine committee. This enables the miners. if they choose. to have an out side union representative to be their representative in disputes. These con- tracts. however,> bear approval >of the state union officials.
 Another factor entering into the sit- uation is that production of coal at the mines having blue book contracts serves to swell the total output and thereby initiates against tffe effective ness of the strike.
 NO SURPRISE FELT
 Operators not having contracts with the miners express no surprise at the new turn. claiming that it is what they have expected from the beginning. They had no faith in the blue book contracts and have claimed all along that they, would not prove binding. They charac-' ize MT. Bittner's statement that tho Operators have repudiated" these con tracts as laying a predicate for their repudiation by the union.
 BE0WULF