The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-03-22
By C. A. HATHAWAY.

By C. A. HATHAWAY.
The present miners strike in the anthra-
cite region of Pennsylvania, carried through
chiefly under the pressure of unemployed
miners who are facing actual starvation, but
already embracing from Is to 16 thousand
employed miners in the colieries of five of
the biggest coal companies, has the greatest
significance regardless of the outcome of
this particular strike, and, at the same time,
offers many valuable lessons.
Issues Behind the Strike
The issue involved in this strike, while
hopelessy and, most Sikey maliciousIy con-
fused by the Maloney-Schuster leadership,
are nevertheless extremely clear
For the employed miners the most burning
issues are part-time work (from to 10 days
per month";, the systematic, though, most
frequently, concealed cutting of wages with
the connivance of the Boylan-Lewis machine
of the UMWA in violation of the union agree
ment, and the vicious speed-up in the mines
For the unemployed miners the problem is
either jobs or relief, lie. food clothes, fuel
and rent
In the two districts now affected by the
strike, Districts ! and 8, about 100000 min
ers were previously employed. Now, as a re-
suit of the crisis, the machination of the
mines, the speedp and the substitution of other fuel
for anthracite COAL at least $4,000 of these miners
are totally unemployed. About 10000 of those en-
ployed are working on the average from to 10 days
per month. Only 10000 miners are more or less ap-
preaching full-time work, and these, well those
on part-tine must put UP with most unbearable
NG-IT1 all cOrfS of tn
lower their earnings. One miner, for example, told
the writer that after working all day he credited
with earning $424 but that after various deductions
we're made by the company he given Is cents for
his days work.
These are the issues that have aroused an intense
anger among the miners, and that they trying to
settle by til strike. The anger of the miners is di
rected against the coal operators, against the Boy
an-Lews leadership of the UNIWA and against the
local leadership officials in the mining
The Boylan- Schuster Leadership
But unfortunately the mass of the miners still have
confidence in the So-called insurgent" leader Ma
oney 1t is the Maloney Schuster Opposition" to Boy
Ian that has leadership in the present strike. The
leadership has been given to Maloney because the
miners believe that he is really in opposition not only
to the Boyan machine but to the policies of betrayal
and sel-out which Boylan represents The miners do
not realize, and do not fully believe when told that
Maloney is only using their misery and hunger to
advance his own personal ambition to replace Boylan
and possibly worse to further the efforts of the
coal companies to wear down the resistance of the
workers through unprepared and poorly led strikes
In this strike, for example there absolutely no
preparation. The strike has gained its present pro-
portions only due to the miItancy of the workers
themselves, and despite the complete confusion ma
hcous or otherwise, among the leaders
The demands, to begin with, are not realistic and
actually stupid Equalization of working time!"-ths
is the panacea put forward by Maloney and Schuster
1t is accepted by the starving miners only for lack of
clearer program But what does equalization of
working time" mean under the conditions prevailing
IN the anthracite, in situation where $4,000 are
fully unemployed where 10000 are working only
to ten days month, and where only 10000 miners
even approach ful-time work? Assuming the granting
OF this demand, which under no circumstances could
be won, what then would be the condition Of the
miners? Equalization Of working time" in such a
situation, could only mean an equalization of starva
ton! 1t would mean that instead of 10000 miners
working somewhere full-time and 10000 working
to 10 days month, all would work one and one-haf
days month. With the wages now prevailing in the
anthracite every miner should be able to grasp what
one and one-haH days work-what Maloney's equal
1zation OF working tine"-would do to improve this
mutation. Obviously it would only make the starva-
ton conditions more widespread; it would equalize
starvation.
Employed and Unemployed Divided
Ne' e'e naAOlouSlleSS Oh THIS demand lies not so
much IN what would happen if it were applied but
IN its effect on the strike Its effect in the strike
has been to create division between the empIoved
ana unemployed miners. The intators of this slo-
gan, the Maloney- Schuster insurgents" have PLAYED
INTO the hands of Boylan, the mine operators and
the local government officials And they have been
quick to take advantage of the opportunity so kindly
offered by Maloney.
Naturally the employed miners were not eatcd over
an opportunity to strike for less working time than
they now had, and for smaller earnings No demands
were formulated for the miners with jobs True Ma
loney asked for the reopening of all closed mines but
the possibility of forcing the companies to open their
mines at time when there no market for their
coal did not appear sufficiently promising to cause the
employed miners to enter enthusiastically into the
strike AS result, in most Mines the miners did not
vote to strike but struck only after huge picket lines
composed of unemployed miners had persuaded them
TO come out strike Ia urorki,,n col1orion