The daily worker., 1932-06-06
For the Unity OF
Indiana Miners
BY BILL GEBERT.

IN the Indiana coal fields there are about 1900
part-time employed and striking miners, with
about another $4,000 unemployed The situation
in the Indiana coal fields presents itself as fol-
lows:
The largest groups of miners belong to tbs
UMW.A, numbering about 5000, local org1niza-
HoAs OF Hai2aW In 6Ae&Meh and Ga1nscA ena~
brace few Hundred miners and then about
10000 part-tme employed miners are naoreane
lied with the unemployed miners completely un-
organized
The coal operators declared lockout on Apral
list, when the contract between the coal opers
atorS and the U.MW.A expired. The strip
mines have been open on the basis Of the old
contract, with $6.10 a day wage scale, pending
settlement between the U.MWA. and the coal
operators. few of the mines that have struck
In the first few days, the miners showed mill
fancy by picketing the mines. The pickets were
attacked by the sheriffs and gunner. A NUM-
Der OF miners were beaten up and arrested.
After this the officialdom Of the U.M.W.A. did
everything to stop the miners from picketing the
mines and advised the miners when they were
brought to court for participation in the picket
ing to plead guilty
Workers Discomfort Grows. Fl
There is resentment against this among the
miners There is a growing discomfort of the
miners in the U.M.W.A as a result of this policy
Number of mines working on a so-called
cooperative basiS-that is miners receiving very
little are supposed to receive part Of the earn
lngs OF the coal companies, and it is so divided
that the coal operators get the profits and the
miners get the statement that there is no profit
Some mines are working on the $50 day wage
scale and others on the $4.10 day wages In all
the mines there is the S-hour day with mines
working a few days week and sometimes few
days a month. There is mass starvation
throughout the coal fields of Indiana
Some petty takers in the UMW.A in Indiana,
which is controlled by the Lewis machine, are
beginning to speak against Lewis for the pur-
pose of gaining control over the miners. They
speak against Lewis in favor of Walker, who sent
his organizers into Indiana for the purpose of
taking the leadership away from Lewis
In view of this situation, the task confronting
the miners in the state Of Indiana is the unifics
ton CT all the miners members of the UMW.A.,
miners who are members of some local organiza-
tiors, unorganized miners and masses OF the
unemployed miners into one united front move
ment against wage-cuts and for immediate relief
for the unemployed.
What 1t to Be Done.
To carry out these tasks it is necessary:
ID That in the local unions of the u NJ
W. A. a rank and file opposition movement
U. M. w. A. around the immediate needs of the
miners such as ID against wage-cuts, Cd inn
mediate relief for the unemployed CD for
safety in the mines and establishment or
working conditions which have been completely
taken away from the miners. These demands
are to be concretized for each mine, according
to the situation in the mine.
(2) To develop a movement against the
local takers of the U.M.W.A., such as Bennett,
socialists of Clinton, who organized move
ment among the miners under the slogan
of back to the mines" and the issues of ac-
cepting the wage-cutS To build locals Of the
National Miners Union in the mines that are
unorganized and organize everywhere the un-
employed miners into the unemployed coun-
cils To unity the struggle by building the
united front from below, organizing miners
regardless of their affiliahon and even if they
are not members of any organizations whatso-
ever On the basis of fighting the policy against
the wage-cuts and for relief
To Prepare for Conference. sza
The opposition movement and the supporters
Of the United Front in Indiana must be very.
careful not to place themselves in position te
organize only miners outside of the U.MWA
The united front movement can be successful
only when it represents miners from all organ.
izations and unorganized miners, together with
the unemployed. Therefore the United Front
Rank and File Miners Conference, which is
being planned for June, assumes tremendous
Importance.
The delegates to this conference are to be
elected from locals Of the U.MW.A. or miners
in other organizations, from unorganized miners,
calling special meetings, from unemployed
minsrs-from opposition groups inside the u.
M w. A. or any other organizations
The conference has the task of unifying the
struggle of all the miners on the basis of the
immediate needs of the miners. In all these
activities the program of the N.M.U. is to be
brought forward in agitational FORM The role
of the N.M.U. is to be explained, pointing out
that it is the only national organization for
the miners, and, wherever there is no organiza-
tion local unions of the N.M.U. must be built.
These are some of the immediate tasks con-
fronting the miners in Indiana