Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13
MINE WAGE FARLEY
OUTLOOK DARKENS
Delegates Of Opposing Sides
in Miami Point to Diver
gent Instructions.
By the Associated Press.

MIAMI, Fla, February 12.-The
growing shadow of uncertainty of out
come which lies over the beginning
of negotiations here Monday for new
wage scale agreement in the centrai
competitive bituminouS coal neids
deepened tonight as miners ana oper-
ators pointed to contrasting lnstruc-
tions or proposals given their wage
scale committees.
John l.. Lewis, president or the
United Mine Workers of America ana
head Of the delegation of miners, re-
iterated that his orga nizatiOn has no
other course than to stand by the IN
structions given it's wage scale com
mittee at the Indianapolis convention
last week. These instructions call Tor
two-year agreement based on no re-
duction of wages.
On the other hand, operator repre-
sentatives pointed to the wage pro-
posal adopted at their meeting in
Toledo. Ohio, few days ago. This
proposal seeks a continuous wage
agreement in competition with the
non-union fields of West Virginia and
Kentucky and would insure the con-
tinuity of such an agreement, II
adopted, through a central board, com
posed of representatives of miners,
| operators and neutral mediators.
Attitudes Are Reiterated.
The latter members of the board
| would be selected by the Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court of the United
States if the miners and operators
failed to agree to their selection.
Neither miners nor operators would
predict an outcome, both sides reiter-
ating their previously declared stands
and expressing the hope that an agree
ment would be reached. In the event
| that no agreement is drafted here, 1t
was said other meetings would be
called in the effort to settle the wage
question before the expiration of the
Jacksonville agreement, March 81.
The expiration of the Jacksonville
agreement, with no new wage scale
| drafted. would bring a cessation of
union mining operations until a settle
| ment could be reached. Any agree
ment reached here must be submitted
to referendum of the miners organ.
| ization.
The present wage scale contract in
the central competitive district, form.
ed at Jacksonville in 1924, provides
| for daily wage of $3.50 for labor and
$l.05 for tonnage workers.
Competition Is Cited.
IN many instances, IT is pointed
out, union and non-union mines lie in
the same districts, the wage scale at
| the non-union plants varying from
$1.50 to $500 per day. The operators
claim thew are unable to compete with
such difference in wages, but the
miners counter that there are many
instances where union worked mines
are paying better dividends than the
! open mines. While the work of this
conference is directed at negotiations
for new wage scale in the central
competitive district, new scale would
form the basis of agreements for
union mining in other districts
Miners officials pointed out that usua
procedure was to formulate the scale
for the central district first
| The central competitive district is
composed of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio
and western Pennsylvania.
Both miner and operator delegates
were slow in arriving. Only a scat
tering of operators were represented
here tonight in the hotel arrival lists
A few more miner delegates, including
! President Lewis official party. were
present and had established head
quarters.