Arizona republican., 1922-03-22

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Mar. I'll
Suspension of work by all union coal
miners at midnight, March 81, was
ordered today by officers OF the
United Mine Workers Of America, the
call being the first ever issued for
both bituminous and anthracite work
ers to walk out simultaneously. Six
hundred thousand men will be af-
fected by the order it was estimated
officially. The suspension, the order
provided, will continue until stopped
by union officials.
The order, which was sent to the
5000 local unions, directed the min
ers to give the operators their fullest
cooperation in the projection of mine
property and counseled against vio-
lence and violations of the law. In
addition to affecting all union miners
in the United States, the order also
directed approximately $3.50 union
men in western Canada to join in
the walkout, but did not apply to
IA, 900 miners in Nova Scotia.
Never before in the history of the
coal industry has a suspension or
strike order called for cessation of
work by all union miners in the
United States.
In the past, wage contracts in the
bituminous and anthracite fields have
not expired at the same time. but a
complete tie-up in union fields was
considered during the great anthra-
cite strike in 1902. A sympathetic
strike by the bituminous miners at
that time was rejected by the unions
convention, il being argued that the
hound
contract.
Strike Vote Overwhelming
The issuance of the call came with
the recent strike vote of soft. coal
miners not completely tabulated, but
it was said officially that the work of
the unions board of tellers had pro-
gressed to such point as to show
every field voting Overwhelmingly in
favor OF a suspension. Indications
were that nine tenths Of the miners
favored the walkout.
Cessation of the suspension, In
whole or in part, is left to the unions
policy committee, composed of more
than 100 union officials, which will
meet in Cleveland on Friday to con-
slider plans for conducting the strike.
Outstanding among the questions to
be considered by the committee is
that of negotiating single state wage
agreements. A division within the
committee on this question seems
certain, with indications that a ma
jority will oppose the single state
proposition.
The suspension order, which said
blame for the walkout in the soft coal
fields rested with the operators for
refusing to negotiate new contract
with the union and with the failure
to reach a new agreement with the
hard coal operators, was mailed by
office employees at the unions head
quarters here in the absence of Off
cials. The procedure, however, had
been previously arranged by officials
and the release of the call, which was
previously arranged by officials and
the release Of the call, which was
dated yesterday, was directed by Of
ficers, who are in New York meeting
with anthracite operators.
The unions membership, excluding
that in Nova Scotia, which will not
be affected by the strike, is about
SOC, 900 men. or these approximately
rs 900 are in the three anthracite dis
tricts of Pennsylvania and the re-
mainder scattered over the soft coal
fields. Past suspensions in the an
thracite fields, however, have prac-
tically stopped all operations leading
to the official estimate that almost
500 900 men will be called out OF the
mines.
The order was not sent into Nova
Scotia because the miners there were
said to be working under an agree
ment made some time ago when a
contract expired.