The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-05-23

proposed TO Local Union OAHU,
U. M. w. A. in Central City,
Pa.
There the miners elected a
good rank and file miner for
local president. The pit scale was
weighing the coal little too good
for the company" and the local
decided that the pit committee and
the local president examine the
scale. The company would not
agree to let Mike Balya, local presi-
dent see the scale, 1t is reported
that he knows quite a bit about
scales.
Over this strike developed. The
company wanted to fire the local
president. They went ahead with
this action The men are on strike
and one of their main demands is
that he be reinstated.
The UM.WA. district officials
were called in, both by the men and
by the coal company. They went
to the coal company. The MIRA.
Labor Board was also called and
they decided for the company. They
wanted the men to pay 81 for every
day they were on strike and to fire
the local president.
A Yellow Dog Agreement
The next day the coal company,
the U.M.WA. district officials and
the N.R.A. proposed an agreement"
for the local union to sign. The
agreement" states that "in the in
terests of the welfare of the family
of said Mike Balya the Reitz Coal
Company is willing to reemploy said
Balya on the condition that he takes
no active part in the negotiations
between the said Company and the
United Mine Workers of America,
or serve on any committee or in any
capacity of or for such association
for period Of two years from the
date hereof, should he be so long
employed"
This is what they want the local
and especially the local president to
sign. If he does the company states
that they will hire him and that
Balya must resign as president and
not be elected for two years and
that he cannot be the checkweigh-
man at the mine.
Then the company has a clause
for the new officers. They are not
to elect or appoint Balya on any
committee for two years. And that
they will only elect people that
speak. write and read the English
LANGUAGE.
The company then makes clear its
right to fire Balya at any time
during the agreement.
In the days before the MIRA. we
called this yellow dog agreement.
It's still yellow dog agreement.
This is the way the company and
the U.MW.A officials want to keen
control of the local officers and
local unions.
Nominations This Month
In the past John L. Lewis with !
just a hand full of local officers was
able to rule over thousands of dis
satisfied members. On the other
hand the fighting rank and file is
more and more seeing this. And
fight for the control of the locals is
taking place.
In the last UM.W.A. local meet
ings of this month nominations for
new local union officers take place.
The elections take place during the
month of June. This Is the best op-
portunity of the rank and file
miners to get rid of their local Of
f1cers, if they are Lewis men. and
to elect new rank and file fighters
OF the type of Mike Balya.
This means meeting of the mil
liant rank and file miners before
the night the nominations are held
They must decide on a slate and go
to the meeting and nominate them.
At the time of the election all of
the rank and file miners must be
brought to the meeting and the rank
and file fighters must be elected
This will be guarantee of a fight
against Lewis and the coal bosses
and for the Sc day scale and the
6-hOl1r HaV and 5.dov u,aaIx ~ LII