The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-02-15
COAL BARONS
TRY TO BLUFF
AT MIAMI, FLA.
Peabody Is Heard From
At Chicago
(Continned fr0m Page Onel

lCONbtlttSu yFOH Guye OUe)
spokesman declared it would be use
less to continue negotiations if there
is no prospect of a wage slash. IN
less there is a cut, they asserted they
could not hold out against the COM
petition of the lower scale non-union
fields in West Virginia, Tennessee
and Kentucky, which sections also
enjoy a preferential freight rate on
lake coal shipments.
This argument by operators has
often been used and has always been
answered by progressives in the union
with facts. The progressives point
to the many coal mining companies
which own both northern, union
mines, and southern, non-union mines.
Reject PrOgressives' Remedy.
1t was this which was back of the
progressive resolutions introduced in
to the last U. NJ. w. A. convention,
for no contract with part of the mines
Fof a company unless all of its mines
were included. This resolution was
downed by the Lewis machine, amid
jeers and riotous scenes. Lewis, de-
claimed dramatically, "Why that res
olution would mean that we would
have to fight the United States Steel
Company"
Storm Brewing.
Today's joint session was purely
perfunctory. 1t consisted of election
of officers and appointment of COM
mittees.
These officers were named:
Chairman, Rice Miller of Illinois,
operator; secretary, Thomas Kennedy,
secretary-treasurer of the United
Mine Workers; assistant secretary,
George K. Smith of Ohio, operator;
and sergeant at arms, James Need
ham of Illinois, operator.
Two operators and two miners
Representative were appointed from
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsyl-
vania on the rules committee.
Talk Compromise.
The conference was summoned to
draft new wage scale for the Jack
sonville agreement which expires
March 81. Unless an agreement,
permanent or temporary, is reached,
approximately 100000 union bitumin-
GUS miners will walk out of the pits
at the expiration Of the present con-
tract.
None of the committee from the
union or operator officials would adj
NIT that there will be a strike this
year. They say that a compromise
: though it can be effected only after
the sharpest kind of fighting, will be
reached. The negotiations are ex
: pected to be fairly long drawn out.
2 The miners committee comes in.
: structed by the international conven.
] ton not to accept wage decreases
/ and to make two-year contract fol-
/ the bituminous fields. But neither the
| convention, nor the international pres.
r ident. who dominated it through pack
: ed delegations, made any plans for ths
strike that must follow a refusal OF
: the operators to sign at the old scale
The operators are insisting not only
5 upon a substantial wage reduction but
D upon a flexible wage scale which ma!
NC IENlSCQ do IOAAAAblOAAS wal citib "
a an arbitration board set up by thu
e union and the owners. The boarC
4 would consist of IL members, foul
miners, four operators and three mel
to be agreed upon by the workers ant
3 owners. The board would establish
Y competitive wage, that is, weight
: ed average of the scale paid in thu
: non-union fields. To this wage, tn,
2 operators would add 10 per cent fo
a union men.
t The operators today agreed upol
: Herman C. Perry of Hillsboro, ILL.,
as the official spokesman. This jol
: carries with it the craftsmanship o
the joint wage conference.
Perry withdrew his name and Ric'
Miller of Millsboro, chairman of tn
/ Illinois Operators Association, wa
elected chairman of the joint wag
committee.