The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-07-08
THE WAGE CUTTING
OFFICIALS OF
THE U.M.W.A.

mand that they be discharged. The
local officials of the UMWA are
sitting in the company Office and
serving as the witnesses against the
militant miners. The charges a.
gainst the militant miners are 50
outrageous that the company Of
ficials tell the miners openly that
they have nothing against them
but that their own UMWA officials
demand that they be discharged
They act in the capacity of the
dischargers and blacklisters of this
miners who resist wage cuts.
In Northern w. Va.
Another, even more outstanding
example of the UMWA officialdornI
policy, is taking place in Northern
West Virginia today. The recent
Developments there are basically
the same as those in the Terminal
mines but more outrageous.
In Northern West Virginia, the
miners struck last year against $50
ton. Van A. Bittner, head UNI
WA official, who openly says that
the official policy OF the UMWA 10
"to out scab the scabs," took over
the leadership of the strike and In
spite of stormy protests Of the
miners, signed an agreement for 300
q cd Tho -
was renewed for 22iac a ton. A
few months later the agreement
was revised and the six-hour day.
with the corresponding wage cut,
introduced. Thus the wages Of the
daynen were cut to $500 day,
the outside labor to 80 cents day.
and the leaders were limited to,
only three cars a day, making an
average of 81 day. This Is this
wage scale that existed ia Northern
West Virginia in the year 1900. 4
How They Run STRIKES"
While the above scale prevails In
the mines working under the UNI
WA agreement, the miners in the
unorganized mines, with the excep-
ton of the Consolidation Coal Co..
received 24c, 26c, 28c, and soc a
ton. Recently the Consolidation
Coal Co. cut wages to 19c a ton.
Some of the miners struck spon-
taneously. The UMWA officials
took advantage of the situation
and began to force a strike, not
so much in the mines of the Con-
sohdation Coal Co., but mainly in
the mines paying 28c and soc q
ton. The paid pickets, the official
gangsters, the mine forenen from
the mines under the UNWA agree
ment, etc, is the crew trying to
force the strike. The members OF
the UMWA working for 22hc a
ton, are forced to continue to work,
but must pay Csc day for the
transportation of the "pickets".
Thus far, by fierce terror the UNI
WA officials forced strike of some
5000 miners, working for the scale
at least 20 per cent higher than
that of the UMWA.
Businessmen Labor Leaders
Meanwhile an Emergency Con-
vention of the UMWA" was called
on June "a, with most carefully
selected delegates" The Conven-
ton was called to Stimulate the
strike development. The Conven-
ton went on record to invite the
coal operators to joint Confer
ence to sign an agreement with
the UMWA. In the call sent to
the coal operators in the name Of
the Convention, we find the fol-
lowing:
Under the policy adopted by
the United Mine Workers of AM
erica, in convention, you will be
asked to sign the same agreement
that is now in effect in union
mines in Northern West Virginia.
Let us set aside the prejudices
and meet in this conference as
American business men should"
| Here we have the UMWA off.
Gals pleading with the coal oper-
ators to come to a conference to
cut the wages of the miners from
28c and soc a ton down to 22lac
ton. To strengthen their invit-
alton, they forced the miners to
strike for a wage cut. However,
they carefully omit to mention the
present scale of the UMWA.
One of the chief tasks of the
National Miners Union is not only
to expose the wage cutting and
strike breaking role of the UMWA
officials, but to develop uncompro-
missing and determined struggle,
based on the united front, against
these takers, eliminating them
from the ranks of the miners, win
ming the confidence of the min
ers and bringing them into the
ranks of the National Miners Union,