The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-17
BITTEREST DRIVE
AGAINST MINERS
IN VIVA. HISTORY
Union Loses Most Of It's
Membership
BY TOM TIPPETT

1 (Staff Correspondent OF the Fed. Press)
CHARLESTON, w. Va, April 49,
West Virginia coal operators are Sci
zing an opportune time to try to crush
that part of the United Mine Workers
Of America that remains in this state.
The general depression, everywhere
prevalent in the industry, has brought
the miners near starvation and since
1921 the unions vitality has been
Slapped in courts because Of the armed
march Of that year.
The operators have continued on all
sides a relentless campaign Of vi
olence with their armed guards. They
have also at their beck and call the
armed forces Of the state and on top
of all Judge McClinic issues injunc-
tions as the operators direct But
as the injunction abuse in other parts
Of the country in West Virginia it
stands in, a class alone for vicious
ness. The West Virginia union is
slowly slipping into the hand.
$4,000 Unlonists Left.
There are still approximately $4,000
members in District II, U. M. W. A.,
but District 20 New River field) has
been completely lost. At its highest
peak, 1882, the union claimed a
membership of about $4,000 in both
districts in the state. After the war
membership began to fall and the
1922 national strike considerably
weakened the union membership. Dis
trict 20 with 5000 members was lost
then and in District II there are
thousands now striking, living in
tents, where they have been since the
national strike called two years ago.
Tent Colonies Like Ulcers
These tents colonies, crowded with
ragged women, children and numer-
Gus babies, can be seen like ulcers on
the mountain sides or in the river bot
toms now in the full bloom with
spring flowers. They are located all
along Big and Little Coal rivers,
Cabin creek, Briar creek, Paint creek,
and all thru the Kanawha valley dis
trict Of which Charleston is the CEN
ter. The territory is the old estab-
lished union field. The strikers are
isolated and are against companies
that refused the 1922 settlement.
Their mines, meanwhile, have operat-
ed with strikebreakers with the 1917
wage scale in effect.
This April the entire Kanawha
Operators Association demanded a
reduction to the 1917 figures. 1t was
refused by the miners who want the
continuation of the 1922 scale Jack
sonville, Fla, settlement). A strike
affecting the entire Charleston field
has been on since April 1. other
operators associations in the state
have signed the Jacksonville settle
ment. The settled fields take in about
1900 men.
$4,000 Get Strike Relief.
The district office estimates $4,000
as the number on strike relief. That
includes the women and children. The
benefits are $3.50 for men, S1.50 for
wife and 80 cents for each child, per
week. This is paid by the member
ship Of District IT. There have been
some donations from the interna-
tional union and some assistance,
especially food and clothing, from
other sources.
There are in the state a little over
$4,000 men employed in and around
the mines, according to the state de-
partment of mines; SSS coal compa-
MES operate between them 1881 mines
that ship by rail. They produced in
1922 70,S8S,2O3 gross tons of coal. The
total value of this product was $780,
764,917.65, the report says, and on
another page shows that the average
weekly wage paid the miners who pro-
duced it was s2O.O7. That was in
1922.
The 1921 report shows that depres-
sion had already hit the industry.
There were 9,s73,4O1 fewer tons Of
coal mined in 1922 than in 1921. And
of course less wages for the miners.
Since 1922, conditions in the industry
have got worse. Fred Mooney, sec
rotary Of the West Virginia miners:
says work has never been so scarce
and miners conditions so bad as at
present.
Nevertheless the union miners grin
and say they are going to win. That
sentiment is everywhere. From the
district Office to the meanest tent CO
lony. 1t is the indefatigable spirit Of
unionism in West Virginia.
nnn Al NIs