The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-03-05
HOW LEWIS HELPS
MINE OPERATORS
WRECK The union
Three Year Agreement
Was Betrayal
ny A Coal Miner.


cal Union 705, U. M. w. Of A. has paid
out $4,000 for relief to Al unemployed
starving families who belong to our
local union. The mines they worked
at closed down IL months ago, and no
other Jobs could be secured-and two
months ago the store keepers stopped
their credit, which left them in criti-
cal condition.
There are, however, two mines
working here, and the men at these
two mines voted to share the work
with the other 248 idle men; but the
company refused to let them do this.
So we took up the division of work on
April 10 for the carbon men. This
case went to the executive board, but
up to this time we have not had a de-
cision on the case.
Executive Board In No Hurry.
On Dot. 2, the Taylor men voted
unanimously to give the St Ellen
men a share Of the work, and this
case also went to the board. The
board met in November but did not
take up the case. They met again
in December, and again failed to take
up the matter. They met again in
January, and referred the case to an
independent arbitration commission.
Section IL, of our agreement, reads:
after mine has been idle, except
thru strikes, for a period of 80 days,
the miners employed at mines in the
same locality may, at their option,
share work with those thrown idle,
either by doubling up in working
places or some other manner mutual
Iy agreeable; except, there will be no
change in men in working places Of
tener than every six days of opera
tion."
After Ton Months-ThlsI
On Feb. IL, the following decision
was handed down:
Springfield, ILL.,, Feb. IL, 1926
Case No. U, Operators Association,
Fifth Dist, and the U. M. w. of A..
in a matter in dispute between the
miners of Perry Coal company, Taylor
mine, O'Fallon, ILL.,, and the company
wherein the miners are demanding
that they be allowed. to share their
work with the men from the st. Ellen
mine, which was referred to the indie
pendent members of the arbitration
commission for settlement.
After listening to the arguments
presented by both sides, and reviewing
the evidence in this case and in
careful examination of Clause IL of
the state agreement, we are of the
unanimous opinion that unless the
men agree to double up in the work
ing places, work cannot be shared ex-
cept by some other plan mutually
agreeable to employer and employt
at this mine; and we so decide"
(siuned) Martin Bolt, Thomas p.
Back, w. T. Morros.
"Independent Arbitration Commits.
sion."
This decision means that instead OF
working two men in one place as at
present, we are compelled to work
four men in one place. The men work.
ing in this mine have not enuf air to
sustain life for two men, having to
leave their places one and two days
a week on account of bad air.
The failure to get decision from
the executive board, and the unem.
ployment and starvation condition in
O'Fallon, is the outcome of the three
year agreement entered into at Jack
sonville, Fla, which was intended to
destroy the u. Nj. w. of A. as an or.
ganization. The operators will have
to give John L. Lewis, Frank Earring
ton, and their boot-licking machine
the credit for doing the job well. The
operators alone didn't have the CUTS
Abolish capitalism-And Lewis.
AS coal miners we realize that the
unemployment, suffering, and misery
are the outcome of capitalism and can
only be abolished with the abolition
of the system that produces it. Tho
workers will eventually learn that the
present system of society is the dead.
ly germ OF their disease. Capt..
talism includes all other crimes :.
Il degrades labor and corrupts leis.
ure !. IL ties balloon to the
shoulders of the rich child II
ties ball and chain to the feet OF
the poor child and tells them they
have an equal opportunity.
A rich mans child goes to college,
while poor mans child goes to work
IN the mines, the factories, and the
sweat-shops. They produce the
wealth that keeps the rich child II
college. The rich child gets the edu-
cation TO keep the poor child a slave
When the poor child grows up to man.
hood or womanhood and becomes a
Communist, they put him in jail for
advocating "An equal opportunity for
all who work"