Evening star., 1937-02-12
C.L. 0. PREPARES
TO HELP MINERS
Policy Committee Of Union
Groups Gathers for
Session Here.

AIlOlIl6T Ol II1C 4NaOAOAA 4AioJok 40
dustries today moved into the focus
of the militant labor group headed by
John L. Lewis as the Policy Commit
tee of the United Mine Workers gath
cred at the Willard Hotel here to map
their strategy for seeking shorter
hours and higher wages in the soft
coal fields.
Although Lewis still was confined
to his hotel room in Detroit with a
cold, about ITS of his mine workers
associates were scheduled to open
three days of deliberations this after
noon. He is expected to return be-
fore the meeting ends, with his de-
parture for New York and joint con-
ferences with the coal operators
scheduled early next week.
The present agreement between the
miners and operators expires March
81. Operators already have demanded
that the work week be increased from
IS to 40 hours, with no wage increase.
Coal men expect the union to demand
30-hour week, with wage increase
of at least Is per cent. Negotiations
are to start next Wednesday.
Steel Industry Drive.
Lewis has already begun an attempt
to bring all the workers in the steel
industry into the Amalgamated Asso-
citation of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers.
The steel and coal industries are re-
lated. Coal is needed to make steel
and steel companies own many coal
mines. Lewis has expressed belief
that the same financial interests, in
some instances, are back of both steel
and coal companies.
The miners contract with the op-
orators provides that operators shall
deduct union dues from pay envelopes
and send the dues to union headquar-
tiers. Lewis is financing a good share
Of his entire campaign from this
money. A long coal strike would cut
off this revenue.
This dues "check-off" enters the
picture in another way, also. The
steel companies that operate mines
now are collecting funds to help Lewis
organize employees in their own steel
mills
Lewis Plans Mystery.
From these facts and opinions, labor
observers for months have tried to
deduce whether Lewis would bring his
steel campaign to head with simul-
taneous strikes in steel and coal
April l or insure his unions income by
a settlement with the coal operators
before he attempted to win agreements
from steel.
Lewis refuses to answer these oues-
tions and even some of his closest
friends profess not to know what his
strategy will be.
While giving his attention to steel
and coal in the months just ahead,
Lewis also appears destined to have
an increasingly bitter fight with the
American Federation of Labor, labor
men say. Federation leaders last night
termed the strike settlement a sur
render" by Lewis.
The federation has given up any
effort to make peace with Lewis In
stead the craft union leaders who op-
pose Lewis unioniZation drive have
adopted an outright war-like program
Secretary Perkins, in a statement
yesterday on the auto strike settlement,
said both union and management were
''to be praised for their give-and-take
spirit and for their sober sense of
fairness and responsibility to those
they represented and to the general
public"
Other labor developments:
Miss Perkins expressed an opinion
that use of the Seamen's continuous
discharge books provided by the Cope
land act should not be forced before
Congress considered protests.
Predicts Ratification.
She also predicted ratification Of
the child-labor amendment this Win
ter, listing New York, Florida, Georgia,
South Dakota, South Carolina, Kan
sas, Maryland, New Mexico and Texas
as States likely to ratify.
A few hours after Miss Perkins
made her prediction the New Mexico
Legislature ratified the amendment,
bringing the total of States to 81.
AAAA W -oAh nAC iACNScoo1y.
Dakota Legislature, however, rejected
at about the same time a ratification
resolution.
Labor Department statistics show
there was only slight increase in the
number of strikes during the first 10
months of 1886 compared with the
corresponding period in the previous
year.
The total for 1886 through October
was 1905, compared with 1882 during
the 1885 period.
A representative of rank and file
seamen from the Atlantic and Gulf
Coasts complained to the American
Federation of Labor Executive Coun-
Gil yesterday that most of the major
activities of maritime union officers
during the past two years involved
questionable methods"
John LawrenSon was the spokesman.
He told the Council the present agree
ment between the ship owners and
their unions failed to provide proper
wage and hour standards and was not
submitted to the membership for ap-
proval.