The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-01-22
BY BEN GERJOY.
Organization Secretary of the National Miners
BY BEN GERJOY.

BY BEN GERJOY.
THERE are number of very basic factors which
l distinguish the Kentucky strike from the
great strike of 10000 miners in Western Penn
sylvania, East Ohio and West Virginia. The re-
cent strike of the 10000 miners goes down in the
history of the American labor movement as one
of The real heroic battles against misery imposed
by the capitalist class aided by the labor takers.
That strike expressed the revolt of the miners
against a long wave Of wage cuts and speed-up,
which threw the miners into state of misery
and starvation. 1t was a revolt against the con-
tinuous treachery and betrayal of the U.M.W.A.
and its class collaboration policies. The strike
marked the beginning of the end of the old
union which has become a tool in the hands
of the coal operators, and the rise of the Ma
tional Miners Union based on principles of revo-
lutionary unionism The strike resulted in a
victory for the miners, in the sense that it stop
ped for period the general wage cutting cam
paign in the mining industry.
New Wave of Wage Cuts
On the other hand, the Kentucky strike comes
at a time when fresh wave Of wage cuts is
rapidly developing. The coal operators have
learned from experience. Especially, did the
Western Pennsylvania strike teach them a les
son. Thus they began their campaign by cut
ting the miners wages in an indirect form. For
instance one company evolved the following
scheme: They divided the coal into good and
bad coal The miners were getting half the price
for the bad coal But which was bad and which
was good was determined by the boss. The re-
suit was that out of every five tons of coal loaded
three were termed bad. The result to the miners
pay an almost 40 per cent cut.
Another company used a much simpler scheme
1t decided to reduce the size of the car in half
To accomplish this the boards on the side of the
cars were taken off On the basis of this the
company reduced the price for each car of coal
mined to so per cent the former price. But
then the foreman compelled the miners to load
each car with a high top. The result of this
scheme was that the miners were loading prac-
tically the same amount Of coal for half wages.
Simultaneously with these forms of wage cut
ting, direct wage cuts have become more and
more numerous, especially on a local scale Com
panies which have number of mines have tried
to put through new wage cuts in individual
mines This happened in the Pittsburgh Termi-
nal mines. The NM.U. stopped the Pittsburgh
Terminal co. from putting through a wage cut
in its Coverdale mine, though the UMWA
tried its best to help the company, as the presi-
dent himself stated.
All thse local wage cuts, though further worsen-
ing the conditions Of the miners, did not, how
ever pull the coal industry out OF its present cri-
sis. During the period since the big strike, the
N.M,U. has grown considerably in strength es-
pecially in regards to mass influence among all
miners. The miners, encouraged by and feeling
in the National Miners Union staunch fighter
for their interests putting up an ever greater
resistance against the coal operators numerous
schemes to save the coal industry, meaning of
course, Saving the profits of the coal industry
for the coal operators"
Despite the resistance to the operators on the
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ators are determined to increase their profits by
further reducing the miners pay through wide
sweeping wage cut. We thus see whole series of
wage cuts either put through, or in the process
Of being put through. The following examples:
In West Virginia the UNfWA signed an agree
ment with the operators reducing the wages 25
per cent. 1t was an agreement based on the prop
ostion, as Van Bittner, UNINA District president
boldly stated it, "of out-scabbinb the scabs" The
Pittsburgh Terminal Co has just announced a
10 per cent wage cut in all of its mines. The
Pittsburgh Coal Co. is feeling its way slowly and
announces cut in only part of its mines A
general wage cut is being prepared for the min
ers of the Anthracite and Illinois, upon the ex-
piration of the present agreements with the
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