Evening star., 1933-10-14
Conditional Check-of.


have accepted the "check-of system"
demanded by the coal miners, with the
proviso that the individual members of
the miners union must request that the
system be applied to them. Under the
check-off system coal companies deduct
the dues Of uniOn members from their
pay envelopes and turn the dues over
to the union. The officials Of the steel
companies. which own the coal mines
in which $4,000 men have been on
strike for weeks. have resisted the
check-off. Their representatives were
called to the White House last week by
President Roosevelt to talk over the
controversy threatening operation Of
the coal code set up under the NJ r. A.
and which had already led to strife and
bloodshed
The concession made by the steel
companies in the matter of the check
of is expected to lead to final settles
ment Of the differences between the
miners and the operators. As a matter
Of fact, their willingness to accept the
system "conditionally" amounts to an
acceptance of the system. The conten-
tion of the steel company officials is
that the adoption of the check-off sys-
tenn leads inevitably to the closed
shop-and to the closed shop the steel
men object. They say that workers
should be at liberty to refrain from
joining the United Mine Workers of
America if they wish. The miners
take the position that If the workers in
a coal mine receive the benefits in bet
ter pay and working conditions grow
ing out of the efforts of the union
they should become members of the
union and contribute to its upkeep
through the payment of dues.
It is difficult to understand what real
| difference there is between accepting
the check-off list of members supplied
by the union and applying the system
to their pay envelopes and accepting
the word of the individual workers to
have the system applied to them. For
If the union is influential enough among
the workers to bring about their men,
bership, it is very doubtful they would
risk the ire of the union by declining to
instruct the company officials to deduct
their union dues and turn them over to
the union treasurer under the "condi-
tional" check-off now accepted by the
steel officials. Apparently, however, the
condition makes the officials of the steel
companies little happier.
The steel companies have in effect
recognized the right of collective bar
gaining and the right Of the workers
to become members of any union they
see fit, under the operation of the N.
R. A. coal code. The check-off system
is a detail. Granted that the steel COM
pany officials may wish no unions in
| their mines, they have nevertheless
under the compulsion of the National
Recovery act passed by Congress come
to the recognition of the fact that COL
lective bargaining is the order of the
day. 1t has been recognized in the steel
code as well as the coal code.
The strikes in the coal mines owned
by the steel companies have been a
thorn in the side of the industry; they
have contributed to the unrest in in
dustry and have brought hardship to
| thousands of families It IS this kind
of industrial strife that is making re-
i covery more difficult. It is the kind
of strife that the employers and workers
have both been warned against by the
President and by Gen. Hugh S. Johnson,
national recovery administrator. and
other officials Of the Government. The
final settlement Of these differences
is an end greatly to be desired. The
step which has just been taken is an
| important one