The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-03-10
MINERS SIDE Of.
WAGE ARGUMENT.
GIVEN OUT HERE
Statement Issued by Lew
is Reviews Steps
in Dispute

j almost unanimously, much in
terest Is being shown in here in
the controversy between the OPP
orators and. miners. In presenting
the miners side Of the controversy
TO the publis, John L. Lewis, pres
tdent ofithe United Mine Workers
has issued statement setting
forth what lie called the principal
lssne In the controversy.
This statement, as given out at
the sub-district headquarters of
the union here. is as follows:
I'VE .dolnot expect to follow the
nonsunion worker down tho lad
der oftwage reductions to the NOR
ass Of poverty and degradation
which prevails below; and we do
not propose to have the non-unton
Sardstick applied to our standard
81 lYing..
The statement then goes on 10
Coal operators are attempting
TO force the bituminous miners to
accept q reduction in their wages
which would place them on level
with the non-union miners OF
West Virginia, Alabama and other
tields IN which the union Is kept
out or driven out by armed gun,
men and thugs in the employ OF
the coal companies. Mine work
ers In these non-union fields are
helpless. They are unable to on
ter any protest against wage re-
auctions or any other within OF
their employers by which their
standard of living is lowered.
Wages always have been lower in
the nonsunion fields than In the
organized fields, because Of this
fact. Non-union miners have no
protection and must take what is
offered II they are to work at all.
when two large and powerful
groups Of operators in tue Pires-
biirgh field and In Southern Chic
served notice that they would re-
fuse to meet with the United Mine
Workers to negotiate new wage
and working agreement they sery-
ed notice in effect, that they were
out to break up the miners union.
Should they succeed in this at
tempt II would mean that the
miners Of those two fields would
he reduced to the level OF the
wretched non-unlon miners OF |
West Virginia. The United Mine
Workers will not permit this to be
done
Claims Contracts Violated
In announcing their refusal to
meetSwith the miners and work
out a new agreement to take
effect on April i, these operators
deliberately violated their written
contract With the miners, which
they signed On New York on March
"a. 1920, In that contract was
his clause:
Z Resolved that an inter-
state Joint conference be held
prior to April /, 1922; the
time and place for holding
such meeting to be referred
TO a committee of two opera
tors and two members from
each state herein represented,
tosether with the interna-
donal officials OF the United
Mine Workers of America
That agreement was as bind
Ing as any agreement ever signed
by business men. Refusal by the
operators to live up to this agree
mett was a shock to the public
conscience and an assault on busi-
ness morality. 1t was so Indefen- |
slhle that President Harding de-
nounced their action and directed |
Secretary Of Labor Davis to call |
upon the operators to liv= up to
their agreement and meet with
the miners in an honest effort TO
work out a new agreement.
one OF the prime objects OF
these operators Is staging their
refusal and their violation OF con-
tract was to bust the union. But
Il must be remembered also that
there are millions of tons Of soft /!
soals on hand, and a strike scare |
slways boosts tho selling price,
thus giving the operators a fine
opportunity to gouge the public
poeketbook and clean up enor-
nous profits. 1t has been done
before, and why should 1t not be
lone now2
,sDid, Not earn Living"
zone Of the excuses the opera
tors gave for refusing ito enter a
conference was that the miners
would. demand an increase In their
wages and that, therefore. 1t
would be useless to hold a confer
ence. But the miners did nothing
81 the kind They do not ask for
an increase, but they do ask that
the present scale OF wages be con-
tinued I'm effect for another two /
years. They did not earn a living
under the present scale in 1921,
hut they are willing TO take the
eliahce with 1t for another two
YEARS They pin their faith 10 the
hepe for a revival Of industry and
busfness in the next two years
that win. afford them steadier en-
ployment and thus enable them to
make q living.
rBitnmlnous mine workers IN
ne union fields were. employed
only an average Of about 1875 days
u 1921. This is about 40 per cent
oft1lls time. AS nearly as 1t can
BE asceftained at this time. they
earned an average Of approximate
" 400 In 1921, which is about
1850 "a week. Every person who
has 70 buy food, clothing and
eyerything else for q family at