The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-03-28
UNIV Locals Forced
to Act By Miners
Call for Broad Strike
Committee
CONTINUED FROM PAGE oNEp

selves on strike. 1t is this rising
rank and file pressure that keeps
certain elements in the grievance
committee, so far, from compromise
with, or surrender to the Interna-
tional officials and the companies.
1t is a dangerous sign that the
next meeting Of the general grie-
vance committee, Saturday, will be
for members of the committee only.
The ostensible purpose of the meet
ing is to pass on a list Of grievances
and strike demands to be drawn up
today by a subcommittee appointed
for that purpose.
1t was brought out at the meet
ing yesterday that Governor Pinchot
had promised to keep state police out
of the strike regions-but that was
before the strike started, and while
Pinchot thought the Five and Half
Year Agreement made by Lewis and
Boylan would prevent all strikes
The state police are on the ground
in full force, and in addition, in
South Wilkes Barre, where one OF
the only two mines picketed so far
is located, city police assist the
troopers.
Wilkes Barre papers yesterday
featured dispatch from Washing
ton, D. c., in which Secretary OF
Lbor Doak appoints Thomas Davis
as commissioner of Cancellation tc
break the strike if he can. The
papers say, "Devis, who has had
much experience in settling anthra-
cite strikes in the Pennsylvania
fields, is in Wilkes Barre today, and
will keep Doak informed"
AS matter of fact, Murray and
Kennedy and the other break
ing international and district off
Gals, took Davis right with them to
the meeting. But because of the
hall crowded with rank and file
miners determined to fight, things
did not go as Murray and Davis eX-
pected,
Rank and File Demands
The program of the Rank and File
opposition, the organization in the
locals of the militant group, is for
election at once of broad rank and
file strike committees in each local,
to organize mass picketing; to draw
the unemployed miners, and their
wives and children into the struggle,
to fight against any attempt at ar
bitration, and not to go back to work
without vote of the strikers, and
not until the demands are granted.
The demands put up by the Rank
and File Opposition, which are be-
ing circulated among the miners as
soon as $4,000 leaflets can be printed
are for: Payment for all dead work,
maintaining the wage scale for all
classes of work, no topping, no check
off. recognition of the mine COM
mittees, and no discrimination.
Dead work is that work the miner
does, taking out rock, etc. which does
not directly produce coal, and for
which, now, he does not get any
pay. Pay is by the ton of~coal
produced Maintaining the scale for
all classes of work is to do away
with wage cuts through shifting.
The mo topping" demand is to get
rid of one robbery. The companies
now demand the coal be heaped high
on the cars. If it is not, they dock
the miner. If it is heaped up, some
falls off, the miner does not get
paid for that, and the company col
lectS the coal later.
The police are used to collect the
United Mine Workers union dues
from the miners at each pay day.
This is the check-off None of the
miners has any use for the UNIV.
and none would pay dues if he had
any choice.
The Rank and File Opposition
urges the miners to organize the
Glen Alden strike, and send strik-
ers to other locals to collect funds
for relief and get support for the
strike.