The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-28


there were confronted with having
to deal with the company stores,
which took all Of their earnings. The
mine belongs to Paisley or the VAL
ley Camp Coal Co. There was no
organization to protect the miner.
The state law in West Virginia pro-
hibits company stores. The miners
started a petition which almost
everyone signed. The prosecuting
attorney of Marshall County took it
to court and the company was fined
fifty dollars.
A few days after the trial the bos-
seS visited every place in the mine
and told the miner that he had to
deal in the company store or they
would take further action. The min
ers who had refused, were called into
the foreman'S Office on coming out
at night, and told they had dirty coal
and so they can take their tools and
go. They carried on this practice,
and just picked out the check num-
Der they wanted.
But they made simple mistake
one day, by calling one man to their
Office. This man happened to be
working on day work. He had not
loaded any coal for two weeks. The
boss said, we'll how much did you
deal in the company store, and fired
him anyhow.
Miners have asked other miners to
join the National Miners Union, and
have found that they loaded dirty
coal, a means Of yictinizing hundreds
of miners in certain districts. In the
same mine previously mentioned,
miners having dirty coal have to per-
form one days work for the COM
pany, other operators in the states of
West Virginia and Ohio fine the
miners fifty cents per car. That
means at thirty cents a ton about
rs per cent is taken away, from every
car he loads. The coal CO. has no
way Of finding out the miner who
loads dirty coal, unless they unload
a car by itself and examine it. In
most Of the mines the coal is dumped
into pan that holds probably four
cars, then the coal goes from there
on to the shaker or screen, where the
dock boss is stationed. If he; sees
any dirty coal he pulls the bell and
notifies the weigh-boss of dirty coal,
but he has to pick out a check from
four cars previously dumped, and
maintain that it is merely guess
work.
How long are the miners going to
stand for this stealing by the bosses
at the mine? I believe the miners
are ready for struggle, and this point
is getting to be bigger issue every
day. The miner is talking dirty coal
all the time.
There is only one way to stop the
bosses from their exploitation, and
that is to organize, join the National
Miners Union, demand that your
representative appointed by the min
ers see that coal is weighed, and that
there will be no discrimination used
in docking the miner for dirty coal
The N.M.U. Is a working class or
ganization. 1t believes that all con-
ditions inside the mine should be
made by direct representation of the
miners themselves. They are show
ing the way out Of the present con-
ditions to the miners. Every miner
in his mine should find the NMU.
organizer, and join. that organization.
In Eastern Ohio section the min
ers are organizing rapidly. We can
win conditions in the mines. We can
put down discrimination against
workers. We can win the fight by
organizing and fighting in this strug-
gle. The Negroes, the whites, and all
different nationalities have to fight
side by side. Let's show the bosses
that we are determined to win. Join
the N. M. u. See the nearest Office
for necessary information in FORM
ing local and getting application
blanks. CIV.
-Powhatan Local, Ohio.