Evening star., 1939-05-12
Breaking the Deadlock

The announcement by DR.. John Il.
6teelman, chief Labor Department
conciliator, that the soft coal dead
lock "is over" so far as the public IS
concerned implies that the United
Mine Workers have won an 1mpor-
tant victory in their fight to estab-
lish a union shop in the bitumlnous
coal fields. DR.. Steelman's predlc-
ton could only be based on the belief
that a sufficient number of coal oper-
ators will accept his recommendation
that they and the miners sign 1ndl-
vidual union shop contracts to insure
production of enough coal to meet
the public demand. If he is correct in
that assumption it is not probable
that the other operators-witht their
mines closed-will hold out for an
open shop over any protracted period
while their competitors are mining
and selling coal.
Seldom has a labor employer con-
troversy been attended by more con-
Clldll GlldV WlAASAA AAoS AAA~~N AAN>~
the soft coal shutdown.
The first public statement after
negotiations started came from John
L. Lewis, the leader of the mine
workers, and was to the effect that
the miners had been locked out"
This was promptly denied by a
spokesman for the operators, who
termed the shutdown strike" The
controversy remained on about that
footing until last Monday, when Mr..
Lewis accused the Labor Depart
ment of an administrative blunder"
In not having publicly sustained the
miners for having made four offers
to keep the mines operating under
the terms of the old contract pend
ing completion of the new agree
ment. The operators did not deny
Mr.. Lewis assertion and Secretary
of Labor Perkins then declared that
they had been guilty of violation "of
the principle of collective bargain
ing" in refusing the offers to keep
the mines open. On Tuesday the
President called the negotiators to
the White House and asked them to
get the mines open within twenty
four hours. The operators on
Wednesday night offered to resume
mining operations for two years un-
der the terms of the old contract, fur
ther offering to recognize the United
Mine Workers as sole bargaining
agent for the miners in the Appa-
lachian field and proposing con-
tinuation of negotiations in an ef-
fort to find a contract formula salts
factory to both sides.
This offer was rejected by the min
ers and DR.. Steelman made his ap-
peal for individually negotiated con-
tracts. This unusual step, which DR..
Steelman said was taken with "deep
regret" was designed to offset the
operators unit rule of voting, under
which all operators had to agree on
a final contract decision, thereby
making it possible for minority to
block the union shop demand.
If, as DR.. Steelman believes will be
the case, a sufficient number of
operators accept his proposal to as
sure an adequate supply of coal, the
immediate emergency will be over.
But that result, however welcome,
should not be permitted to obscure
the fundamental fact that the coal
crisis has been direct result of the
conflict between the c. I. O., which
includes the United Mine Workers,
and the American Federation of La
Dor. Mr.. Lewis has sought a union
shop or abolition of twenty-year-o
contract clauses penalizing strikes
to protect his union from competitive
organizing activities of the A. F. of L.,
and the resultant struggle between
the miners and operators-with its
serious consequences for the general
public-is apt to be repeated in other
major industries so long as the intra-
labor feud continues.