The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-11-17
$4,000 Miners
May Walk OUT
IN ANTHRACITE
! Challenge Hudson Coal
Co. on Grievances
BY ART SHIELDS,
Federated Press,

SCRANTON, Nov. IS. -(FP)-Hud-
I son Coal Co., whose breakers spot the
northern anthracite field for many
miles, Is threatened with strike Of
Its $4,000 employees. The general
I grievance committee Of the % local
unions involved, says that unless the
management remedies one Of the
many grievances that have been hang
Ing fire so long 1t will call strike
In the latter half Of November.
Hudson Coal a subsidiary Of
I Loree's Delaware & Hudson r, R, -
/ has the worst labor record in the hard
coal region, The particular grievance
that brings the threat Of war is only
last straw on the camels back, Yet
the facts of this local grievance are
worth telling because they we'll illus
trate the company's methods,
In the Grassy Island Colliery the
payment of the tonnage miners for
rock removal has been slashed more
than two thirds. This rock is strata
in the middle of the coal vein. Re-
moving this rock took up so much
time Of the piece workers that they
were formerly allotted a substantial
time allowance. Every bi-weekly pay
they were credited with 40 hours or
five shifts at the daytime rate of
$69S a shift, totalling more than forty
dollars for this form Of dead work"
sIashes 3 Years Ago.
Three years ago the management
smashed this forty-odd dollars to a fiat
eve, six and seven dollars, depending
on the man and the work place. The
union protested that the company, I'M
der the agreement, had no right to
change a rate until the agreement ex-
kpired. The case went to the concilia-
don board representing operators and
union for the hard coal region 1t
went on to Umpire Nell. The umpire
agreed in principle with the union but
tailed TO FIX a rate. He asked the
union and the company to get together
and do this. Again the weary round,
through the Cancellation board and
back again to Neil, who has had the
case three months. The company
argues-falsely the union says-that
mart of the forty-odd dollars formerly
went for other kinds Of dead work"
nov compensated for under other
HEADINGS. But no records are shown
10 prove this assertion
Cut Rock Rates.
Encouraged by the delay the COM
kpany recently cut rock rates again to
sSs bi-weekly pay, allowing IS to
Exceptionally hard kckers. And ag-
graYated by the delay the grievance
committee threatens strike at time
when the coal trade is booming.
There are a host of other grievan-
cos: numerous arbitrary discharges;
unjust dockage OF piece workers; gen.
eral speed-up Of day men and in some
cases laying men OF after five and
six and seven hours, to make them
speed up in the morRing to catch up
with lost time.
OVershadowing other grievances
with those who suffer from it. is the
contract system that is being extend
ed, making one miner the pro1teer
over many others. The union has
additionally been opposed to the con-
tract system and from time to time
has rebelled against 1t and either
wiped It out or curtailed It. But in
the last three years Hudson Coal.
among other operators in the northern
field, has been extending IT,
Perhaps most serious Of all to the
unions present welfare is Hudson
Goals latest move. forbidding organ
izers the right to come on its proper
ties and backing this up with a declar-
alton that the union does not have the
right to closed shop.