Daily Kennebec journal., 1922-03-27
Question of Collective
Bargaining Back
of Coming Coal Strike

iiiNi.s AhaiNh - W.
the Associated Press)-Back of the
impending coal strike lies the issue
whether the present form of collect
i've bargaining - the negotiations
that take place between employers
and employees acting in groups on
wage contract-shall survive in the
coal industry. The present form has
developed during the last four dec
AIDES.
AS it exists in the soft coal indus
try, collective bargaining began in
1855, that year marking the first in
tcrstate joint conference of the or
canizcd miners and their employers.
In the anthracite regions of Pennsyl-
vania, it grew out of the great strike
of 1902 which was settled by COM
mission. named by Theodore Roose-
Welt, then president.
But today, especially in the soft
coal fields, the joint movement of op-
orators and miners. such being the
trade reference to the collective bars
gaining system, faces an unprccc-
dented situation. No interstate wage
conference seems probable because
of the refusal of some operators to
continue the present system; both
criminal and civil proceedings in the
federal court here attack the legality
of the whole bargaining movement
alleging that it is a conspiracy to
boost the price Of coal for the first
time, agreements in both the btu
minous and anthracite fields expire
on the same date-March 81.
Long before tho present bargaining
system was adopted, local agree
ments had been made between on
orators and their employees, the first
having been that negotiated in 1869
between some anthracite miners and
operators by John Sincy, known as
the father of the miners movement
IN America. But these agreements
when they were made in the early
days-onlN affected small areas, and
did NOT touch the thousands of min
ers as do those of today.
The circular, issued Jointly, by min
crs and operators for their 1885 con-
ference. gave this description of the
proposal:
This is the first movement of n
national character in America, taken
with tho intention of tho establish
ment Of labor Conciliation."
From tho conference resulted an
agreement. executed at Columbus. O.,
Feb. %, 1885. which fixed wage
scale in the soft coal fields of west
crn PENNSYLVANIA, Ohio. Indiana, nli-
nois and West Virginia. and created a
board of arbitration, on which the
miners and operators had equal rep
leScntatlon. Similar agreements
were nrde annually until 1895 when
the panic OF 1898. having set in. de-
mOraliZCd tho coal trade, and broke
off negotiations, but were revived
again in 1898, and continued down to
the present.
The initiative in the joint move
mont was taken by the miners. Their
convention, at indianapolis. decided
to issue a call to all operators for a
joint meeting on October Is, 1885,. at
Chicago. Daniel Mclaughlin of Hi
nois, chairman of tho convention.
was the father of ti1e plan. He first
proposed it in letter TO the Ma
tional Labor Tribune in 1855. and
later brought it 10 tho attention Of
the minors delegate convention. As
result tho convention directed Chris
Evans of New Straitsville. O.. now
historian of tho United Mine Workers
of America, to invite all opera tors TO
fn,
purpose Of adjusting market and
mining prices in such way as to
avoid strikes and lockouts and give
to each party an increased profit
from the sale of coal"
Tho proposal so made was. accord
ing to tho old miners. like asking the
hon and the tiger TO lie down toGcth-
or, for the coal industry previously
had hoen rcplcte with many strikes or
lockouts. In 1854. the great Ohio
Hooking Valley strike had occurred,
continuing until the early part of
1875, when finally settled. leaving
both sides suffering from battle scars.
Only one operator. w. T. Rcnd of
Chicago. owner of mines in tho Hook
ing Valley, answered the invitation
by appearing for the Chicago meet
ing. and but for his presence tho on
tire plan probably would have been
dropped. At his suggestion. an in
Nitation was issued to Chicago opcr-
ators to attend a meeting with the
miners the next day. Eight operators
attended and agreed with the miners
to call meeting at Pittsburgh.
There. seventeen operators mot with
fourteen miners representatives but
were NOT ready to act on any scale
though they favored the Joint move
ment. The Pittsburgh conference de-
ferrod consideration Of scales 10 =
meeting held at Columbus. Feb. %.
1885. whom the agreement was exc
cuted
Since the beginning or the intor-
stat" JOINT agreement, many changes
nave come in tho coal industry.
among them the following:
Eight hour day for miners and mino
laborers; universal minc-r,ln basis
for determining tonnage on which
wages arc based: increased wages.
ah"li'l"n OF company stores. COM
monty Known rs pluck mes" better
mining la"a: improved working con-
ditions and continuity of labor sup
ply.
Tho interstate movement. as if has
heen practiccd in tho past history of
the soft coal industry, consists of thc
operators and miners each drafting
set Of demands. The miners in
Nariahly asked wage increases and
me operators asked wage reductions
or changed working conditions or
both. each side usually asking moro
than either expected. Tho result of
the negotiations ho+,oo, ~