Pueblo chieftain., 1922-03-12
THE b|TUM|N0US COAL CONTROVERSY
FROM THE UNION MINERS STANDPOINT

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. March Ill
John L. Lewis. international president
of the United Mine Workers of Amer
lea. clearly stated the principal issue
involved in the present controversy
between the miners and sthe bitumin-
Gus coal operators, when he said In
a speech at Shamokin, Pa, on January
II: We do not expect to follow the
non-union worker down the ladder Of
wage reductions to the morass of pow
erty and degradation which prevails
below; and we do not propose to have
the non-union yardstick applied to our
standard of living" according to a
statement issued at the headquarters
ot the union in this city. The state
ment then goes on to say:
Coal operators are attempting TO
force the bttuminous miners to accept
\ reduction in their wages which
would place them on a level with the
non-union miners of West Virginia.
Alabama and other fields in which
the union is kept out or driven out by
srmed gunmen and thugs in the en-
ploy of the coal companies. Mine
workers in these non-union fields are
helpless. They are unable to enter
any protest against wage reductions
or any other whim of their employers
by which their standard Of living Is
lowered. Wages always have been low
er in the non-union 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 the PittsburS
field and In Southern Ohio served no.
tice that they would refuse to meet
with tho United Mine Workers this
month to negotiate new wage and
working agreement they served notice
in effect that they were out to break
up tho miners union. should they sue
cced in this attempt 1t would mean
that tho miners of those two fields
would be reduced to the level of the
wretchcd non-union miners OF West
Virginia. The United Mine Workers
will not permit this to be done.
In announcing their refusal TO
meet with the miners and work OUT
new agreement to take effect on
April l. these operators deliberately
violated their written contract with
the miners. which they signed in New
York on March 81, 1920. In that con-
tract was this clause:
Resolved. that an interstate joint
conference be held prior to April !,
1879; tho time and place for holding
such meeting to be referred to a COM
Inittee OF two operators and two mem
bers from each state herein represent
ed, together with the international Of
America.
That agreement was as binding as
any agreement ever signed by business
men. Refusal by the operators to live
up to this agreement was n shock 10
the public conscience and an assault
on business morality. 1t was so inde-
fcnsiblc that President Harding de-
nounced their action and directed Sec
r.tary OF Labor Davis to call upon the
operators to live up to their agreement
and meet with the miners In an honest
effort to work out n new agreement
zone OF the prime objects of these
operators in staging their refusal ana
their violation OF contract was to bust
the union. Butit must be remember
ed also that there are millions OF tons
OF soft coal on hand. and a strike
acare always boosts the selling price.
thus giving the operators a fine op-
portunity to gouge tho public pocket
book and clean up enormous profits.
i, has been done before. and why
should II not be done now?
"Onc OF the excuses the operators
gave for refusing to enter CONFER
encc was that thc miners would de-
mand nm Increase In their wages. ana
that. therefore. IL would be useless 70
hold n conference. But tho miners did
nothing OF the kind. They do not
ask for an increase. but they do ask
that the present scale of wages be
continued Ia effect for another two
years They did not earn n living un-
der the present scale in 1921, but
they are willing to take the chance
with Il for another two years. They
pin their faith to the hope for re-
vival OF industry and business in the
next two years that will afford them
stcadlcr employment and thus enable
them to make a living.
''Bituminous mine workers In the
union fields were employed only an
~ hnx IN,
This is about 40 per cent OF fun
time. As nearly as it can be asccr-
tanned at this time, they earned an
average OF approximately 5000 In
1921. which ia about $3.50 "A week.
Every person who has to buy food.
clothing and everything else for
family Mt present prices knows That
It is impossible to keep n family above
the poverty level on $3.50 week.
statistical experts say an annual
wage OF $3.50 Is necessary to keep
family OF man. wife and three chill
dren in health decency and a mini
mum amount OF comfort in the bitumi-
nous coal mining fields OF the country.
Mine workers earned less than half
that sum last year. Yet the operators
roposc to reduce their wages.
'In the six year period from 1918 to
1918 ,and in 1918 more coal was pro-
duccd than ever before and all records
we're broken), the average annual
earnings of bituminous mine workers
throughout tho country were SSi3.N.
Surely. 1t cannot be said that the min
erx are earning too much money at the
present rate Of wages.
Coal miners are not responsible for
tho high retail price at which coal Is
sold throughout tho country. j. ID. a.
Morrow. vice president Of tho Nation
al Coal association. commonly known
as the Operators Union testified be-
fore the Interstate Commerce Com
mission a few weeks ago that the aN-
crasc selling price of btuminous coal
IN the United States in October. 1921.
was 1904 ton. and that the miners