The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-07-04
STEALING AN
ELECTION BY
new METHODS
Mine Union Officers
Conspire With Boss
BY IRWIN
worker Correspondent

I'll SbOn3T1y Fdsy June Es--OuI Ot
a total of 273 mines in District 5.
western Pennsylvania, about so are
at present operating and only one
working full time. The terrible plight
of the coal miners with unemploy-
ment and sufferings stalking thru the
camps, knowing that the operators
are deliberately and unscrupulously
utilizing this situation as means Of
pressure to compel them to accept
a wage reduction and to ultimately
give up the union, can easily be con-
ceived.
Yet the most base attempts to take
advantage of the situation to compel
the rank and file members of the
Miners Union to give up their mill
! tant traditions, to exclude the fight
ers from amongst their ranks in order
| to get the masses of workers to sub
NIT to the demands of the bosses have
unquestionably come from the union
district officials working hand in hand
with the coal operators.
Stealing Elections, New Mode.
Here is how they have invented
new tricks to avoid, if possible, the
stealing of elections in the ordinary
manner and still build up their ma
chine control.
The Vesta No. mine is the big
gest mine in Pennsylvania and one Of
the biggest in the world. 1t is
slope mine and has forged it's way
about eight miles into the hill with
about that many more miles to go
before the coal vein is exhausted 1t
used to employ 600 leaders with 300
day men producing an average Of
5000 tons of coal per day.
Some Slick Trick.
Now the company has put on 1000
leaders with only 200 day men, altho
the productive capacity could be in
creased to only a little less than
5000 tons. The men were informed
by the pit boss that dead work would
not be paid for any more, and altho
the mine works only three days a
week double shift system was estab-
lished.
Local No. 2399 covers the vesta
No. mine. Its charter is held at
Daisytown, Pa, but it meets alternate
ly also at California and Richville,
Pa, as many of the members are
located in these two places ~
A local election was held beginning
June is. The progressive forces
nominated their own candidate for
president, Simon Virta, long known
as militant member of the local, the
machine placed a candidate in OPP
position to him, but it was generally
admitted that Virta would carry the
election.
Operator and Officials Unite Against
Progressive.
He was a member of the pit COM
mittee until he became nominated for
president when the mine superintend-
ent, Edwards, informed him that he
would have to go to work on the
night shift. That would mean that he
would be compelled to resign the pit
committee, which was obviously the
intention of the superintendent who,
of course, does not like militants on
there.
He refused to take the night shift.
Board members Hines and Robertson
were called in and District President
Pagan gave them a hand, but they
claimed they could do nothing to re-
instate Virta on his job.
The district officials refused TO let
Virta take part in the negotiations
with the mine superintendent. They
could fix the job better alone" and
they did fix it right
Not only was Virta eliminated from
the pit committee but the officials
also succeeded in eliminating him as
a progressive candidate who was sure
to win the election.
Deeeivlng the Membership.
The rank and file recognizes that
the district officials and the mine
superintendent talk the same language
and work hand In hand to defeat the
progressives and attain their common
objects. Still many say: Simon virta
has now lost his job, he will have to
leave to seek work elsewhere, what Is
the use then to vote for him for local
PRESIDENT"
A Wrecking Plan.
The returns are not yet in, but when
the tally sheet finally shows the cleo
ton of the machine candidate by a
majority vote, the rank and file will
remember that this was another trick
played upon them jointly by the mine
management and the district officials
and, serious as the outcome will be
for the members of Local 1893, il
Will be but a small matter compared
to the bigger job which is being
pulled-the enforcement of the 1917
scale.
When finally accomplished, the dis
trict officials will again say that they
could do nothing" but the road has
been prepared for the complete de-
struction of the union.