The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-03
Miners Elect
Rank and File
InThreeLOcals
Homer City, Curtissvillc
and RusseltOwn Locals
Defeat Machine
By TONY MINERICH

PITTSBURGH, Paine rank
and file opposition 4 the United
Mine Workers is beginning to bet
ter organize its forces. This can be
seen in the local union elections
that are now taking place. Most
Of these take place in the last meet
ing Of the month, but some Of the
locals have already elected. OF these
three have elected supporters Of the
rank and file opposition.
In the Curtissville mine of the
Ford Galleries, the rank and file
miners elected their slate. The
same was true Of the Russellton
mine, and some of the rank and
file supporters were elected at the
Homer City local.
These are the answers Of the
coal miners to the Lewis machine
and to the wage-cutting campaign
Of the N. r. A. and General John
son.
Many of the miners thought
that Roosevelt and the N. r. A.
were really going to solve the prob
lens, as Lewis. Murray and the
other U. M. w. A. leaders prom
ised. In the year that has passed
the miners found out that these
hopes we're useless.
The coal miners recall how their
pay was raised last April The
agreement expired, as did those of
the steel, auto and railroad work
ers. There was much talk Of
joint strike. The miners agreement
was the first to expire. They were
getting ready to march on the
steel workers, and later on the
railroad and auto workers The
bosses and the A. F. of L. leaders
were panicky.
Something had to be done. The
new agreement was signed And
the miners received the 7-hour
day and the 5-day week, with an
increase in wages This was to
keep them from fighting for the
6-hour day and the 5-day week
and the So basic wage scale. 1t
was effective.
Wage Cuts Under the N. r. A.
The miners went to work. They
found out that the increase in
pay did not help 80 per cent of
the miners very much. These we're
the leaders and the machine men.
Not long afterward the wages
of the Alabama miners were cut
by the differential. There was a
bitter strike, in which the N. r. A.
and the U. M w. A. officials did
their part" The results were ex-
tension of the wage cut, the killing
of some miners and the return to
the pits.
After that Federal Judge Charles
I. Dawson of the U. S. Court at
Louisville handed down an injunc-
ton to keep the federal author
tiles" from enforcing the $3.50
wage scale. The scale was reduced
to 81. So the N. R. A. did its part
in cutting the Kentucky pay. There
was talk of strike, but it did not
take place.
On June 4, General johnson is
sued another order cutting the pay
of the miners of Arkansas, Okla
homa, Missouri and Kansas from
$4.35 to 81 day. Again the N. R.
A. was doing its part"
All of this was put over with
the help of the U. M. w. A. Off
Gals. In most cases they are APP
pointees of John L. Lewis. For
this they have also received re
wards" in more than money. John
L. Lewis was appointed by the
great liberal" Mrs. Perkins, as
the representative of the govern
ment to the International Labor
Conference at Geneva.
The Goal Digger" paper of the
rank and file coal miners, has
carried on campaign to have the
rank and file GUST the Lewis hench-
men. This fight is carried into all
of the mining districts. The re-
turns from the Curtisville, Russell
ton and Homer City locals is proof
that it is being carried out.