The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-07-10
BY f. BORICIi.


IN the mining industry perhaps more openly
and brazenly than in any other the capt.
talsts are trying to unload the burden of the
deepening economic crisis on the shoulders of
the workers. This is particularly true in
Pittsburgh District. Wage cuts are taking
place daily In many instances the miners
getting as low as % cents per ton COM
pared with 70 cents paid couple of years
ago-before the betrayal of the miners by the
U.M.W.A. Big coal corporations are already
announcing new wage cuts. The mechanical
ton of mines is rapidly developing. Tens of
thousands of miners are being thrown out of
work. Mine after mine is being shut down.
Other thousands are working only day or
two per week. Many thousands of miners and
their families are actually starving.
Due to these unbearable conditions the min
ers are ready to struggle more than ever be-
fore. Spontaneous strikes are breaking out
everywhere. Several mines striking al
ready. The strike is rapidly spreading from
mine to another from one end of the dis
trict to another. 1t is also spreading to West
Virginia. Three mines are on strike at the
time this article is written. Reports are COM
ing in that four or five other mines are dis
cussing the strike and preparing to walk out.
The situation for a mass struggle is ripe
Spontaneous.
These strikes are taking place without any
preliminary preparation. AS soon as a COM
pany announces wage cuts, the miners strike.
This very clearly shows the readiness of min
ers for struggle. The most significant fact
in these strikes-and at the same time the
best proof of the rehabilitation among the
miners-is that they are taking place sinful
taneously and in spite of already existing and
still growing mass unemployment.
While the objective situation is moro than
favorable for the Communist Party and the
National Miners Union, yet there are some
bad subjective factors. This is primarily due
to gross underestimation of the situation by
the Party as whole and the N NJ u and
to extreme lack of capable forces and organ
ization. The very first beginnings of the
strikes have revealed this and taught us some
very serious lessons.
For instance, in the Arden Mine 200 miners
struck against wage cuts. 1t was three DAYS
before the Party and the N. M. u knew any,
thing about the strike And this in spite of
the fact that we have several Party nuclei in
the territory and a sub-district committee of
the N. M. U. Before the N. NJ u went down
to take charge of the strike, the miners sac
cepted' wage cut and went back to work
Lack of Leadership.
In the Duquesne mine 225 miners struck
against wage cut. The Penowa mine only
a few miles away, also struck. In the Du-
quesne mine we have Party nucleus of 8
members and a local of the N NJ u. And
yet the miners went back to work accepting"
wage cut because of lack of leadership. At
least this is the explanation of responsible
comrades
In the McKeesport mine $50 miners struck
against wage cuts McKeesport is only Is
miles away from the district office of the
Party, the district and national offices of the
N. M U. AS soon the miners struck they.
called upon the N. M. U. to take charge of
the strike. But before the n M. u went into
the situation, the discredited and in this dis
trict nonresident United Mine Workers of
America, through its president, Pagan, was
IN charge of the situation. Miners have no
faith in the U. NJ w. A. The NJ M. u was
not there in spite Of the fact that it was in
vited by the miners and they went back to
work under wage cut
Strikebreaking
In Rivesvie, w. Va, the ,ary same thing
happened Miners struck against a wage cut.
Van Bitner took charge of the strike only to
send the miners back to work under a wage
cut. But Van Bitner didn't stop here
committee was sent to the Cassiville Strike.
which is under the firm leadership of the N.