Evening star., 1939-05-13
Coal Contract
Signed by IS
Of Il Groups
Six Southern Units
Withdraw; 300, 900
60 to Work Monday

BACKGROUND
Soft coal mines In rs States
haze been closed and 100000
miners idle mhile neqotidtors
for nine Ueeks hare sought
agreement ON contract to replace
one 1Dhich expired March 81.
Strike penalty clauses and the
union shop issues deadlOcked the
negotiations for weeks until q
Federal conciliator ererted pres
sure to resoiUe the impdSSe.
By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, May l3-Fifteen OF
the 81 bltuminous coal associations
in the Appalachian Joint conference
today signed union shop contract
with John L. Lewis United Mine
Workers of America &C. I. o., max
ing possible the return to work Of
100000 miners on Monday.
Six Southern groups of operators
withdrew from the conference which
covers and eight-State area. but sew
eral companies within the Southern
area went along with the operators
who signed.
The dissenting groups. whose
spokesman was L, c. Gunter. employ
about $4,000 miners and produce
about 45,000,000 tons a year. Mr..
Gunter declined to say whether the
mines would try to open on a nom
union basis
The approval of the union shop
contract for which Mr.. Lewis had
fought through eight weeks of dead
lock and growing national emergency
wiped away the last trace of fear
that there would be a coal shortage.
Several in Dissenting Units Sign.
The contract replaces one which
expired March 81 and will run for
a tWo-year period. Save for the
union-shop clause which had proved
the principal barrier, there are no
changes of note in the contract.
1t provides for basic pay of S6
day for a 5-day, 35-hour week in
the North and $3.50 in the South.
The dissenting groups were tha
Big Sandy, the Hazard. the Harlan,
all of Kentucky; the Virginia Coal
Operators Association. the Southern
Appalachian of Tennessee and
Southwestern Virginia and the
Kanawha of West Virginia.
In the Kanawha district the fol-
lowing companies independently
signed the contract.
The Coppers Coal Co. Pittsburgh;
the Christian Collier Co., the
Loughiogheny and Ohio Coal Co;
the Raleigh Wyoming Mining Co.
and the Kelly Greek Co,
DR.. John R. Steelman conciliator
of the United States Labor Depart
ment. who was President Roose-
velts personal representative in the
closing days of the negotiations. said
he was gratified at the outcome.
Unusual Step"
He characterized the Govern
ment's recommendation for a speedy
settlement was an unusual step" but
one that was necessary in view Of
the critical condition facing indus
try because of a growing coal short
age
Mr.. Lewis declared the miners
were aware that a, "preponderant
sentiment to tonnage in the six
districts are in truth and in fact,
favorable to acceptance of the agree
ment"
Lewis Adds warming"
Then the C. I. o. head added a
word of warning"
Il wish to say to them that until
they make up their minds, some
public policy requires that they keep
those mines closed. The mine work.
ers must not be evicted from their
homes. There must not be shooting
of mine workers by coal operators
or any other use of lethal weapons
against them. That goes particu-
larly for Harlan County tKyD and
the other five districts. Soldiers viii,
not operate those mines"
Mr.. Lewis said that "he who
thinks the mine workers are going
to be starved back into the mines
on a non-union basis of operation
is fool"
Il make these statements in con-
sidered language" the C. l. O. chief
tain said. And l say to the oper-
ators in those districts that az
Americans they have just as big an
obligation as the mine workers and