The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-02-22
LEWIS MACHINE
AGAIN BETRAYS
NOVA SCOTIANS
Miners Get "Raise" that
Is Really Cut
lspecinl 70 Ths Daily Workerl

Especial to The Daily Worker)
GLACE BAY, N. S., Feb. 21.-The
gang of Lewis appointees and inter-
national Representatives who have
been negotiating a new wage scale
with the British Empire Steel Cor
poration has signed an agreement
with the corporation which has met
with the bitterest opposition from
the miners who went on strike. The
contract gives the following in
creases to the miners:
Underground day men-30 cents
day.
Surface day men-25 cents a day.
Shooters and leaders and contract
men, including helpers cents per
ton.
This mean that the seven cents
extra is to be split up among all Of
them.
Handpick miners-8 cents per ton.
Miners working on local contract
per cent.
The day men working on the sur
face received last year 1925 and
will now receive $780, The day men
working underground received five
cents a day more than this and I'M
der the new scale will receive 1885.
Coal Costs Miners More.
To compensate itself for this
"raise" the corporation has increased
the price of coal to the miners from
1925 to $3.50 a ton! Recently the
corporation also announced its in
tention of raising the rents of the
company houses! Thus the increase"
actually will be turned into a cut.
Negotiations with the corporation
have been going on since last No
vember. Last 10Th of January the
corporation broke off negotiations
and posted notices of 20 per cent
cut in wages and the increase of
coal to the miners to $4.75 ton.
Despite the fact that the provisional
officers and the international repre-
sentatives were so confused at the
action of the corporation that they
did not know what to do the miners
struck as one man. 1t was some
days after that the gang finally de-
cided to declare suspension Of
work" Later on negotiations were
again started but ended in no deci-
sion. The negotiations which have
lust ended started after Steel ("pois-
onalp representative of Lewis) had
made a special trip to Indianapolis
to drink at the fount of wisdom.
These negotiations ended in the sign
ing of the contract which the Lewis
gang dares to call a victory for the
miners.
Since last July this gang has been
declaring to the miners that they
would at least get the 1921 rates for
the miners, and assured the miners
that now that the "reds" were out o.
Office the corporation would be forced
to raise wages.
At Indianapolis Lewis declared that
the international union was behind
the miners of Nova Scotia in their
strike. Today Lewis wired local
which asked him if he supported this
contract, ordering it to follow the in
structions of the provisional officers.
Lewis incensed the miners here by
calling them scabs because they
worked in 1922 when Lewis knew
that it was his own men who told the
miners to work on and make the best
DdTkdlH pOpclDiC WIFI Tic COI pOid-
tion., The miners now have Lewis
on record as supporting this contract
when the miners oppose it and wish
to continue the struggle to secure
the 1921 rates.
Will Expel Strikers.
The provisional officers have or
dered the miners back to work. Re-
lief has been cut off, tho many Of
the miners around Glace Bay have
worked only few days, since Sep
TENDER last year. Silby Barrett, the
provisional president, threatened ex-
pulsion if the miners do not return
to work. The miners are solid in
their opposition to the cut, and the
contract will never be accepted in
the referendum vote.
Conservative miners who followed
, Barrett and Co. are very disappoint.
ed with the result Of the "leader-
ship" Of the Lewis appointees. Now
they are advocating that the miners
should quit the u. M. w. Of A. But
this is being fought by the radicals.
The slogan of the majority Of the
miners Of the district still remains
The 1921 rates, and the ousting Of
; the Lewis appointees from the dis
trict Offices. This contract has help
ed to stiffen the determination Of the
miners TO get rid Of the provisional
government" and put into Office min
-. xrL. will Herht fha frovr,nw atfny4