New-York tribune., 1922-02-19
Anilracitc Men sUcniands
for 20 =. C.> increase
lacAci hy Biturn;nous
v oykers at Convention
s';ss Agreements
Must BE , Years
y age and Half Overtime
Sought: Howat Faction
Gained by Mother Jones

7Cfa d, et Q rI Fn- .jyf. &c
lADIANAPOLlS. Feb. IS.-TLe
United Nine Workers of .Amer.cs
Feted almost unanimously today a
rhe concluding session of their cor.
yoltioH 10 suspend al mining opera
tions On April unless the ninc
owners agree 10 4 maintenancc O.
the present wage scale for bitunl;.
nous miuers, consent to wage agree
1aents and readjustmcn,s for tae
soft coal miners and grant 20 Pc
cent wage increase 70 .he anthracite
miners.
Il vas ordered By ;Ae conventioe
shat prior TO the strike The question
Of suspeading work be submitted te
&c eeeadum vote to be takcn no
iatee than sfarch 81.
Tie section OF the scale comm :
ree's report committing the orgar
.zaf;on to the STRIFE read a. follow
The present contract between
ihe coal operators ard TIC United
Nine Workers O. America in bojh
the anthracite and bitsm:nou- CO..,
fields terminates on March 81. J.
The event ne agrcemoat is reached
by April We declare in favor q .
general suspension Of mining oner-
a.ions, such action hc;ae subje-.
ID q 'efsrcndun1 vote cf the uieas-
Dcrship of The United Mine N9ri.-
crs cf America. such refer, ndas.
vote to nc he'd prio.. 10 ajarch 80
No Bitumiaous Increases
Tie miners decided without discae
sion no. to seek wagc increaaes II he
aituminous helds. otinr 70 leave a.
touched the section o. the repor. Dc
-laring for 'orpos tiou to any redGc-
soa i0 mining prices and insisting
at nc present basic schosa os %
r-aint med They also adopted t..
anthracite demands. seeking increases
Of "a per cont in the contract scait
and 81 i day FOR day workers.
Iac convention refused 70 c.rec e.
tho section of the scale report rocor,-
mcnding tha. the nov arrcencrts
~ough. with the soft coal operators bs
based upon the ''ci0hl-hoar cay undc-
ground" substituting in is stead :.
demand fer the six-hour day. GVc da~s
4 week. q contention which proved or =
Of the greatest stumbling blocks T.
their controversy With tho nine ovr~
crs pl;or to The strike os fal9
THIS action was taken IL t:c fars
oi thc mos1 emphatic counsel Of the
union officials against it. They wa-ned
the delegates that 1t would be most
difficult to make the public understand
that the siH-hour day did not mean
only SIX hours work = day. and to.
the ejght-hour day underground Dra-
thc same demand clothed il
Ci;rorent words. Some speakers. pic
turing the union as having arrived g
the greatest crisis in its history, veo.
50 far as 10 declare that the o-gani-s
tion would commit suicide BY toe
greatly cncum boring the task lying bs.
tore It's officers"
iIowat Men Cause Uproar
tons were swept aside by the fiery
oratory OF President Lewis's enemies
who, with roars Of approval from the
area where the Harrington and HoNa,
followers were the most plentiful, as
serted they wouldn't be dictated TO by
their officers" and that it was up to
the miners rot to TASK what we get,
but TO take ali we can get"
It was spparent in numerous in
stances that attempts were made to
subordinate the more important inter
ests OF the miners TO their factona,
feelings and at least in the matter OF
"eight-hour day underground dispute
the cold reasoning OF some of the
speakers was ongulfed by cries o.
passion. Such statements as the
operators via use this against you
in every channel By which they car
reach the public were greeted b.
boots and jeers, and the argument OF
Y est Virginia leaders, that the oper-
ators can food the country with non
union coal and let You stay on strike
till Gabriel blows his trumpet" was
battered down By barraSc OF cat
calls
SO bitter WAS the feeling that .hc
opponents of Lewis during considcra
sion of the policies section os the scale
comm tees report almost succeeded
in striking out the question OF sub
mittine the question Of a strike finally
TO the rank and file Of the union.
Policies Clauses Adopted
The remainder Of the policies clauses,
the most important portions of which
already have been published in The
T ribune, were adopted with less de-
bate, as were the demands for time anG.
one-haif for overtime and double time
for Sundays and holidays, and that the
next wage scale negotiated cover .
period o. two years.
Substitution of the word demand"
Was voted for ''recommend" in the fol
lowing two clauses:
We recommend that the mine work.
ers' representatives. put forth their be-
efforts TO secure q clause IN the next
agreement providing for the weekly
pay"
Because OF the abuses to which Il
has been subjected. NC recommend
that the automatic penalty clause be
from the wage agreemeuts. /"
Ratification os the part Of scale con.
facf containing -