The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-05-24
Report of John Brophy


( We protested vigorously against
this contract jumping at various
times. Following is one Of the letters
of protest to the Operators Associa-
ton.
To Clark
February 8, 1925.
Mr.. B. NJ. Clark, President
Assn. of Bituminous Coal Operators
70 Central Pa.
Dear Sir:
We are in receipt of communica-
ton from your Association stating
that the Rochester g. Pittsburgh Coal
& Iron Co. has resigned its member
ship in the Association. This an
nouncement comes almost simultane-
ously with newspaper statements that
that company has leased its Adrian
Mine to the jefferson & Indiana Coal
Company which concern will proceed
to operate.
Ever since the present scale agree
ment was signed last year the Off
GERS of your Association have con-
Quoted a campaign of propaganda to
undermine that agreement to which
you were a signatory in your capa-
city as president of your organiza-
ton. The propaganda took various
forms, some more or less open, much
of it under cover. Inspired news it
ems purporting to show that the pres
ent wage agreement was responsible
for slack work appeared almost daily
in the public press; miners we're APP
preached by various mine manage
ments with the specious argument
that less pay would mean more work,
and were urged to accept a wage re-
duction; men were intimidated by
threats of eviction from their homes;
so-called Citizens" groups were en-
Outraged to form in order to crystal
lie public opinion in favor of wage
/ revisions.
These and many more insidious
means were employed or encouraged
by your Association officers in an Ell
fort to set aside the wage provision of
the Scale Agreement.
AS President of the Rochester &
Pittsburgh Coal & Iron company and
associated coal companies you have
served notices to families to vacate,
or threatened to evict many in an eff
fort to break their morale who have
lived in your company houses in some
cases for thirty years. The rentals
you have received from these families
have paid for those houses over and
over again, and the labor of their men
in your mines has made possible the
payment of huge dividends to your
stockholders-for example 103 per
cent in January of 1928, or in the
case of the jefferson & Clearfield
Coal & Iron Company, $50 per cent
in January of the same year.
The whole economic struggle of our
present day depends on confidence
and the faithful carrying out of the
pledged word. Credit-confidenc in
pledges to pay made possible our
business life today. The trade agree
ment has been instrumental in bring
ing some stability into the relations
between the employer and employee.
Everywhere there are contracts and
agreements underlying all our social
life. When confidence in the pledged
word fails the social structure is en-
dangered.
Your action as President of the
Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal G. Iron
Company in leasing your Adrian
Mine to a new corporation which in
tends to attempt operating on the
1917 scale is mere subterfuge, and is
palpably meant to circumvent the
contract. 1t constitutes therefore, in
our opinion, a reputation of your
contract obligations, and an attack
upon the United Mine Workers.
So far as we know, the action of
this company of which you are pres
ident, has not been condemned by the
Operators Association, of which you
are also president. 1t is indeed an
anomaly and queer ethics, when the
president Of company which repu-
dates contracts is also the president
of an association, one of the objects
of which is to aid in enforcing con-
tracts.
The United Mine Workers condemn
these actions on the part of officers
of the Operators Association, and es-
pecially that of the Rochester Coal &
Iron Company, in connection with
Adrian mine, and intends to use every
proper means in it's power to main
tain its contract rights.
Yours truly,
John Brophy, President
District No. 2, u. M. w. Of A..