Evening star., 1922-03-26
MINER IS AND OPERATORS CLASH
IN CLAIMS AS STRIKE INPENDS
Stoppage of Coal Production Next Satur-
day Heralded by Two-Way Charges of
= Broken Faith and Unreason.

With the threatened coal strike set
to start one minute after midnight
next Saturday and Attorney General
Daugherty forecasting an important
announcement at the same minute
concerning the attitude of the gov
ernment and what can be done to
protect the public, volumnous claims
and counter claims are being put
forth by both sides to the argument
the coal miners and the operators
Brought to a crisis on April /, the
date when agreements between the
contracting parties both in anthra-
cite and bituminous coal fields termi
nate. the situation appears to hold.
according to present indications, no
particular threat to the public, as
the stocks ON hand, both for public
utilities and for private concerns and
homes, seem to be sufficiently ade-
quate to tlispel fear. Added to the
stocks ON hand will be the output
from non union mines. not affected by
the strike.
Seek Renewed Agreements.
The miners have struck for - re-
newal of the wage agreements. a
wage increase of 20 per cent in the
W
siX-hour day for soft coal workers.
and certain other demands. inslud'n.y :
continuance of the check-off
The check-off is system by which
union dues are deducted from the
miners pay by the operators and
turned over bodily TO the union Off
cials.
The operators have refused to meet
the miners for renewal of the four
state agreements in the soft Goa
fields. contending in the Pittsburgh
district for the right to meet with
the men in this district, union or non
union. to negotiate wage scale for
the district. without the check Of.
feature, when the men of the dis
trict indicate desire or Willingness
to meet with u.s.
The Pittsburgh operators met with
refusal the suggestion OF Secretary or
Labor Davis that they confer with the
miners.
The strike was voted by delegates Of
the United Mine Workers in convention
at Indianapolis February IA. subject to
a referendum. which. it was announced
on March 10. had indorsed the walkout
by a nine-to-one vote. The miners
union claims the strike will affect
$4,000 men in both bituminous and
anthracite fields.
Attacks .LabOr DehatiOn."
John L. Lewis. president of the
United Mine Workers, in a statement
yesterday. attacked the operators for
urging the labor defiation" idea as a
means to lower prices, and proposed
that the better way to economic read
justment would be by declaration of the
operators ''for no further wage cuts:
that SO far as labor costs are concerned
there is to be no further reduction in
the cost of production and thus in
prices"
Summarizing the history of the ne
sotiations between the bituminous
coal miners and the operators, James 8
Lord. president of the mining depart
ment of the American Federation of
Labor, began with the 1915 wage
agreement signed at New York. March
9. and in a statement sketched the
development of the fuel administra-
ton throughout the war. up to now.
The strike in 1919 Mr.. Lord attrib-
I'm other words" he said. "the belief
of the operators that the miners were
to be restrained by the government
from striking was the direct cause of
the strike
Resistance Best Argument.
THE miners" he continued, could
not continue to accept wages which
represented an actual reduction in
real remuneration. Coal prices
justified a large wage advance, but
this fact had no influence on the
policies of the operators. All they
have ever recognized, the only argu-
ment they ever did or will recognize.
is potential resistance. This re-
sistance. they believed. was taken
away from the miners by the Lover
law.
Thus the existance of what
has been construed an anti-strike e
law caused the miners strike is
evidence by the fact that prior to the
existence of such law there had been
no general stoppage of work in the
mines because of failure to reach
an agreement since joint relations
had been in vogue"
Mr.. Lord charges the operators
were to blame in the violation of the
present agreement, which expires
Saturday night. This agreement"
said Mr.. Lord, carries a paragraph
that requires the representatives of
the operators and miners to arrange
a joint meeting in sufficient time be-
fore the expiration Of the agreement
that a new agreement can be reached.
The operators up to this time have
refused to carry out this part Of the
agreement, which was calculated to
safeguard the situation for all con-