The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-07-08
BY F. BORICH

'Ef16fIE are lldlly pdSCo VI W
4 trayal in the history of the AM
erican Labor movement But the
present betrayals of the United
Mine Workers of America official
dom surpasses them all. Open and
brazen betrayals, wage cuts and
breaking of strikes, are practiced
by the UMWA officials in every
mining field.
This is especially true
since the beginning of the present
economic crisis. The more the cri-
sis deepens, the more the coal OPP
orators unload the burdens of the
crisis on the backs of the already
starving miners, the more active
is the UMWA ofhcialdom in forcing
upon the miners wage cuts, break
ing their strikes and terrori2ing
them in order to crush their re-
Sistance to starvation and terror.
Would Require Book
To enumerate all their strike
breaking deeds committed in the
last three years alone would re-
quire book. We will mention on
ly few of the recent ones. The
UMWA officials policy is also the
policy of the A. F. of L. officialdom
as whole.
In June 1881, at the height of
the strike of 10000 miners, organ
lied and led by the National Min
ers Union, the UMWA officials,
will, the help of Governor Pin
chot, signed an agreement with the
Pittsburgh Terminal Coal Co. cut
ting the wages of the miners from
SIC to 45c ton, and thus break
ing the backbone of the great
strike. On February 1, 1882, with
the UMWA officials acting as the
spokesman for the Company, even
bringing the books of the Com
pany to the Local Unions, the
wages of the same miners were
cut from 45c to 40c a ton. When
this wage cut was put into effect,
P. T. Pagan, District President of
the UMWA, stated that he will re-
sign from his position before he
will ask the miners to accept an
other wage cut. But again on July
/, 1882, the same Pagan cut the
wages from 40c to 36c ton. Three
wage cuts in one year amounting
to 16c a ton or almost 32qo-this
is what the miners of the Pitts
burgh Terminal Coal Co. received
in return for paying $4,000 to the
UMWA officials in form of dues
and assessments. On top of these
direct wage cuts, with the agree
ment of the UMWA officials, the
Company deducts 400 lbs. on each
ton of coal, averaging two tons a
day, on account of the so-called
dirty coal" In no organized mine
do the miners pay this penalty.
Strike Against Wage Cuts
Between these wage cuts, there
we're four attempted wage cuts
which were prevented by the efforts
of the National Miners Union.
They led to two strikes. Before
the last wage cut went into effect,
July /, the miners again, on the in
itiative of the NMU voted to strike.
However, the local officials of the
UMWA insisted on accepting the
wage cut. In spite of the fact that
the miners unanimously voted a.
gainst the wage cut, these petty
takers signed an agreement accept
ing the wage cut On the morn
ing of July when the wage cut
went into effect, over SO deputy
sheriffs and 10 state police appear
ed at Mine No. 8, on the joint re-
quest of the Company and the UNI
WA officials.
The miners are SO embittered a.
gainst the wage cutting UMWA
officials that the very existence of
the UMWA is in danger in spite
of all the efforts of the coal COM
pany to save the organization. The
miners demand the immediate
abolition of the check-off, by which
they are tied up to the wage cut
ting chariot of the UMWA off,
Gals. A bitter struggle is going
on between the rank and file on
one hand and the local and dis
trict officials on the other.
Blacklisting Policy
To save this wage cutting and
strike breaking instrument and to
make it function more swiftly, the
local officials of the UMWA in
structed by the top officials and
in consultation with the company
officials, have developed real black
listing policy. The names of all
the miners who spoke against the
wage cut, were turned over the
Company with the categoric de-