The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1922-03-15
MINE WAGE
DISCUSSION
is STARTED
Anthracite Miners and Oper-
ators Prepared to Begin Ne
gotiations for New Agree
ment on Scale.
DEMANDS ANNOUNCED
(By Associated Press)

NEW YORK, March 15.-Anthracitn
miners were prepared today to begin
negotiations for a new wage agree
ment to take the place of the two
year contract which expires at the
end of this month A large majority
of the operators arrived to participate
in the first joint conference tbs after
noon.
A majority of the representatives Of
the miners comprising the scale COM
mittee have been in th Getty several
days comforting. the last to arrive be-
ing President John l.. Lewis, of til.
International Union of the miners.
The 10 demands of the miners fornl-
ulated at their convention in Shamo-
kin, Pa, in January, and ratified by
the International convention at Indian
apolis last month, are to be formally
presented to the coal operators and
explained in detail by officers of the
union.
The operators are expected to imme-
diately take them under consideration
and make statement of their posi-
ton on Friday.
Ask Increase
The miners are asking for 20 per
cent increase in contract rates among
other things, while the mine owners
are on record as favoring decrease
below the present working basis.
1t is not expected that an agreement
will be reached before the end of :he
month and in that event the scale COM
mittee of the hard coal workers is un-
der instructions of the Shamokin con-
vention to order a suspension of min
ing until satisfactory agreement is
in sight A referendum on the ques-
tion of suspension was not taken in
the anthracite fields, the action of the
convention having expressed wishes
of the men.
The national policy committee OF
the mine workers has the power to set
aside a suspension if it sees fit, but ac-
cording to union leaders here such
action is not likely. 1t is the opinion
of miners and many of the operators
that a suspension in the hard coal
fields of Pennsylvania is certain. If
it comes it is expected there will be
complete cessation of production as
on two former occasions when wage
negotiations dragged over many weeks.
Demand Under Normal
A shortage of anthracite coal Is not
anticipated unless the expected sus-
pension should run into the summer
The demand for coal during the win
ter was below normal, due to mild
weather and high prices. but despite
this the anthracite mines have been
kept steadily at work in contrast to
those in the bituminous fields, and
there is a fair supply of coal on hand
both in the big storage yards of the
mining companies and in the larger
retail yards of the east, it was said
The miners entered the joint con-
ference destermined, they say, to re-
sist with all their power, any effort
to reduce their present wage scale, as
indicated by the operators. There
must be no backward STEP" President
Lewis has said, and the miners have
declared themselves unanimous in
supporting him.
Proposition Not Known.
Beyond the general statement that
| the workers shall share in the general
deflation by accepting a wage cut, the
mine owners have not indicated what
proposition they will make. 1t has
been reported that they are not a unit
| on what percentage of decrease they
shall ask.
There have been informal confer
ences among the representatives of
| the larger coal companies in the last
! two days outlining a general policy
and prior to today's joint conference
| there was a meeting of the anchra-
cite operators association, comprised
! of large number of individual mine
owners, to talk over the situation. As
| the larger companies produce more
, than so percent of the total output it
! is expected the smaller companies will
| Continued on Page Two)