The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-01-22
B|TUM|NOUS COAL
INDUSTRY FACING
STIFF WAGE FIGHT
Mine Workers Union to Take
Up Scale at Session
Next Week,

The ,bituminous coal industry to-
day faced another stubborn wage
battle between operators and miners.
Although both sides carefully
avoided any talk of strike, there
was an air of belligerency in both
camps-the United Mine Workers
Of America on one side and the bi-
luminous operators on the other.
The impending wage battle is to
be centered on the new wage con-
tract to replace the Jacksonville
agreement which expires March 81.
Already operators of the central COM
petitive field, embracing the bitumin-
Gus mines of western Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, have an
nounced their determination Of fight
ing for lower wage scale.
Operators Meet
At Toledo this week the operators
adopted a resolution declaring that
the scale between tine miners and
operators of this territory must con-
tinuously be in competition with the
wages paid in the nonunion fields of
West Virginia and Kentucky.
Adoption of this policy would
amount to>a cut of perhaps as much
as 20 per cent from the scale of the
Jacksonville agreement, which set
$3.50 per day as the basic pay Of
the union bituminous miners.
| The wage demands of the miners
will be drawn up at the international
convention OF the United Mine Work.
ers which opens here next Tuesday
Negotiations between the opera
tors representatives and the union
scales committee for a new wage
contract will start at Miami, Fla,
on Feb. IL.
Union officials refused to predict
the possible wage demands which
will be made at the Miami confer
ence. 1t is regarded as certain,
however. that the union miners will
under no conditions consent to an
agreement which they claim would
virtually make their pay dependent
on the wages of the nounion fields
of West Virginia and Kentucky.
Draft Scale
AS soon as the preliminaries Of
the miners convention are out Of
the waye the scales committee, in
cluding members from all the dis
tricts in the bitnminous region, will
begin the draft of wage demands
for approval by the convention.
If new contract results from
the Miami negotiations II will be the
working agreement for 200, 900 union
miners in the central competitive
field.
1t will also form the basis for
separate contracts for 1900 other
union bituminous miners in the dis
..'tricts lying outside the central COM
rpetitive fields. For~each of the out
lying districts a separate agreement
later will be negotiated.
Wages of anthracite miners will
not be an issue in the workers con-
vention or the Mania negotiations
The hard coal workers negotiate
terms direct with the anthracite own
ers in this field an agreement until
1882 is in effect.
from 4U 10 % per cent or all bi-
luminous coal used in the United
States is mined in the central COM
| petitive field, it is estimated.
In taking their stand fog a reduc-
tion of wages for the union bitumi-
nous fields, the operators contend
that the present scale is so high
they cannot successfully compete on
the market with coal mined by
cheaper labor in West Virginia, Ken.
lucky and other non-union fields.
I Central Unionized
Mines of the central competitive
field are almost 100 per cent union
lied, but in West Virginia and Ken.
lucky the exercise of court injunc-
tions and other obstacles have hin
dered union expansion.