The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-08-12
COAL DICCERS
ARE RIPE FOR 4
q Militant union
Robbery Of Men Thru
Check System
(Bp Worker Correspondent


FAIRMONT, W. Va. (By Mail).-
In the vicinity of SCOTS Run, Reeves
vile and Arnettsville, West Virginia,
are many mines. Some were once
union mines and some have never
belonged to a union.
Ripe For Good Union.
Conditions are ripe for the build
ing of the National Miners Union in
this part of West Virginia. Many
miners are working from ten to six
teen hours a day and are only get
ting 80 to SO cents ton. On my
way to a meeting at Liberty, I
stopped to look at the tonnage sheet
and on one side was this notice:
"Motormen S4.75 per day, brakemen
$4.25 per day, drivers $4.25 per day,
bradishmen S4.5O per day, pumper
s4.20 per day, pushers $3.50 per day,
outside labor $3.50" and many
other itemized labor rates. None of
the mines have the same rates.
Some of them pay as low as $3.50
per day and these people pay $1,000
a month house rent and extra for
light.
Drink Mine Water.
Sanitation throughout this vicinity
is very poor. The people drink wa
ter drawn from the smines. Garbage
cans go for months without being
emptied. The toilet pits are running
over, drawing flies, giving off very
offensive odor.
The companies post notices that
they will pay at 2 o'clock and
then report that there will be no
pay day until month later.
Then again another report will be
stuck up "Pay at 2 o'clock"-and
then keep them waiting until 5
o'clock and later, roasting in the
summer and freezing in the winter,
as they usually pay at the mine and
the miners are usually out in the
open, the bookkeeper paying from a
little window in the mine office.
The companies usually pay by the
check system, then most of the time
won't cash them, thereby forcing the
miner to spend what few dollars he
gets (if he has any lefty in the
Grab-it-all company stores. When
you go to town you have to spend
two to three dollars to get check
cashed.
More Wage Cuts.
Pureglove Mine No. 1 posted no.
tees of wage-cnt. Immediately
-sfterward, the National Miners
Union handed out leaflets urging
no wage cuts, and in a short time
the Company tore down the wage
cut sign. While the Union is still
young, not year old, it is already
showing signs of strength.
In Liberty there are three Ma
-tionai Miners Union charters hang
ing on the wall Many miners in
this vicinity have belonged to union
hefore and many are right from the
cotton fields of Georgia and Ala
bama.
The men load from four to five
ION cars and only get on the same
cars two and a half to three tons
weight. A molten was put before
the house to place a check-weighman
on the tipple, which was carried. A
check-weighman was put on the tip
pie and many men have already
voiced their sentiment as to better
weights. Since the check-weighman
was put on, the company is trying
tn discourage the men by giving
them slow turn and holding them in
the mine all day to get that, but the
men say they are better satisfied as
they are not half so tired and are
getting correct weights for what
they load.
The National Miners Union has
approximately 80 per cent. of SCOTS
Run and surrounding territory, but
owing to conditions there much edu-
cational work is needed. The situa-
tion in West Virginia gives rise to
greater courage for a strong and
militant union.