The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-09-13
KNIFE RIVER COAL
COMP ANY Mine At
BEULAH UN|0N|ZED
Contract Containing New Wage
Scale Announced At Head
Office Here
CONFORMS WITH MIRA CODE
Pay For Underground Work Is
so Cents With Coal At
$3.50 Per Ton

Unionization Of the Knife River
Coal company's mine at Beulah and
the signing Of a contract containing
q new wage scale was announced
here Wednesday at the office OF the
Knife River Coal Mining company,
owners Of the mine property. The
agreement became effective Wednes-
day morning.
Organization Of the union has been
under way for some time and nego-
tiations for the wage contract re-
Gently were entered into with COM
pany officials. The latter made no
objection to the organization since
specific provision for this Is made in
the NRA code under which the mine
has been operating for several weeks.
Three schedules Of wages are In
cluded In the contract, the first be-
ing based on the present selling price
Of Ignite coal and the others con-
tingent upon increases or decreases.
At the current mine price Of 81 go
a ton the base price for underground
work Is so cents an hour for trip
riders, trackmen. bratticemen, skim
ners, pumpmen and barn boss. Mo-
tormen, head trackInen and the head
skinner will get 56A cents an hour.
For outside or above-ground en-
ployes separate schedule contains q
base price of 40 cents an hour for car
repairers, weighmen. leaders. dump
men and head car spotter. Car spot
tiers and general laborers are to re-
celve IS cents an hour. blackslnttfs
S. cents. mechanics helpers so cents
and brakenen IS cents.
Miners wages are placed on ton
basis with entry work at 52la cents
q ton: room work at IS cents and
cutting at .O2A cents.
Goes Up With Price
II and when the mine price OF
coal reaches $3.50 ton for a period
Of so days, an increase is to be made
In the scale, the base price Of nom
mining employees being raised from
so to 56A cents an hour and others
in proportion. Rates per ton would
be increased to STA cents for entry
work, so cents for room work and
.021 cents for cutting.
An intermediate step II coal prices
move upward also is provided for,
this becoming effective when the
price reaches Sits a ton. This scale
Is to be one-half OF the difference
between the scale based on q price
Of $3.50 and that based on a price
Of $3.50.
The third scale would go into effect
II the mine price of coal drops to
$l.45 q ton. In that event wages
would be reduced in the same per-
centage as Is provided for increases
II the price rises.
II the base price Of coal goes above
$50 q ton, the workers would have
the right to ask for negotiations
toward new contract. II 1t goes
below $l.45 the company would be
privileged to reopen the question.
The contract Is based upon present
hours Of operation and working con-
citions. In the event hours are fur
Their reduced by the government, the
state, or the company, the miners are
granted the right to negotiate for q
new wage scale.
The miners are granted the right
to raise questions pertaining to work
ing conditions at any time and to
discuss and negotiate with the COM
pany on matters Of mutual inter-
est"
The wages called for In the current
schedule are . substantial increase
over those being paid before the con-
tract went into effect. Wednesday
morning. No time limit was placed
on the contract agreement.
Signing the contract for the union
were President Bert Weber, secre-
tary David Kuster and Attorney w.
H. Esterly. Vice President G. ].
Strike and Manager M. G. Blackstun
signed for the company.