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

! almost unanimously, much In
terest rs being shown In here in
the controversy between the OPP
cfatots and miners. In presenting
the miners side of the controversy
tothe publis, John L. Lewis, pres
fdent oil the United Mine Workers
has issued statement setting
forth what Is called the principal
issue In the controversy.
This statement, as given out at
the silb-district headquarters Of
the union here, is as follows:
we doinot expect to follow the
fionstnion worker down the lad
dersok wage reductions to the NOR
ass ot poverty and degradation
which prevails below; and we do
not propose TO have the non-union
yardstick applied to our standard
ot living
The statement then goes On to
Coal operators are attempting
% force the bituminous miners 10
accept a reduction III their wages
which would place them on a level
with the non-union miners of
West Virginia, Alabama and other
tields in which the union is kept
nut or driven out by armed gum
men and thugs in the employ OF
die coal companies. Mine work
ers in these non-union fields are
helpless. They are unable to en-
ter any protest against wage re-
auctions or any other within of
tlieir employers by which their
standard Of living is lowered.
Wages always have been lower in
the Ton=union fields than in the
organized, fields, because OF this
Fact. Non=union miners have no
protection and must take what is
offered Il they are to work at all.
when two large and powerful
groups OF operators in the Piess-
burghs field and in Southern Chic
served notice that they would re-
fuse to meet with the United Mine
Workers to negotiate a new wage
and working agreement they serv-
etlsnotice In effect, that they were
but to break up the miners union.
Should they succeed in this at
tempt It would mean that the
Y miners of those two fields would
be reduced to the level of the
Eretched non-union miners OF
West Virginia. Tho United Mine
Workers will not permit this to be
done
Claims Contracts Violated
I'm announcing their refusal to
meet with the miners and work
out "a new agreement to take
effect on April /. these operators
deliberately violated their written
contract with the miners, which
they signed In New York on March
AZ 1890. In that contract was
his clause:
Resolved, that an inter-
state Joint conference be held
prior to April /, 1929; the
time and place for holding
such meeting to be referred
to o committee Of two opera
tora ind two members from
each state herein represented,
together with the interna-
donal officials OF the United
Mine Workers Of America
That agreement was as bind
Ing as any agreement ever signed
by buniness men. Refusal by the
operators:to live up to this agree
tneut was a shock to the public
conscience and an assault on busf-
mess morality. 1t was so indcfen-
stble that, President Harding de-
nounced their action and directed
Secretary OF Labor Davis to call
upon the operators to ltvs up to
their agreement and meet with
iie5miners in an honest effort to
work. out new agreement.
zone; Of the prime objects OF
these operators Is staging their
refusal and their violation OF con-
tract was to bust the union. But
II must be remembered also that
there are millions of tons Of soft
soil on hand. and a strike scare
Always hooBts the selling price,
thus giving the operators a fine
opportunity to gouge the public
pocketbook and clean UP enor-
NOUS profits, It has been done
before. and why should it not be
lone flows
s,Did Not Earn Living
seneSof the excuses the opera
tors gave for refusing 10 enter a
conference was that the miners
world demand an increase in their
WAGES, and that, therefore, t.
would be useless to hold confer
encas But the miners did nothing
of the kind. They do not ask for
All increase, but they do ask that
the present scale Of wages be con-
timed in effect for another two
years They did not earn living
under the present scale in 1921,
hut they are willing to take the
chance with Il for another two
Years rhey'pin their faith to the
nope for a revival OF industry and
bnsitess In the next two years
that svflf, afford them steadier en-
plosinent and thus enable them to
nuke aSllyihg,
sBltuminous mine workers in
the union fields were employed
only IN average OF about 1875 days
10 1871 This is about 40 per cent
at full time. AS nearly as IT can
he seertained at this time, they
armed an average Of approximate
N 500 5in@1921, which Is about
e.