Evening star., 1941-10-28
Captive Mine Strike
Seeks 10 Crack Armor
Of Big Steel Interests
Obtaining Union Shop
Would Be Big Step in
Bottle With Adomunt Foe
BY WILLIAM r. PEACOCK,
Associated Press STAFF Writer.

About 95 per cent of the $4,000
miners in the captive" coal mines
owned by the major steel companies
are members of the c. I. o. United
Mine Workers.
Why should John L. Lewis and
the U. NJ. w. be so insistent that the
remaining per cent come in?
Why should the steel companies so
steadfastly oppose the U. M. WIS
demand for union ship?
Many of those in touch with the
situation believe that the real issue
behind the current controversy is
whether the union shop shall be in
stalled eventually in all major steel
making and shipbuilding plants.
The Defense Mediation Board rec
ognized that this question was in the
background when it decided against
recommending either for or against
a union shop in the captive mines.
1.-TWO Conflicting Rights"
at became clear to the members
Of the Mediation Board" its report
said, that there could be no meet
ing of minds in the conference be-
fore it with respect to the two con-
flicting rights asserted in the pres
ent dispute, because of the possible
repercussions of any agreement here
made on the steel and shipbuilding
industries, in one or both of which
most of the interests involved in this
dispute are engaged"
The two rights" to which the
board referred are:
AS defined by the companies: The
right of every worker to choose for
himself whether he will or will not
Joint the union, and the contention
that his employment should not be
made to depend on union member
ship.
AS asserted by the union: The
right of union workers to refuse to
work with non-union men.
When John L. Lewis named J. P.
Morgan as his adversary" he did
50 on the ground tnat the Morgan
interests control U. S. Steel.
Big Steel's Position.
Big Steel controls a vast steel
making and shipbuilding empire
Furthermore, it is the recognized
leader for large part of the Ameri-
can industrial world When Big Steel
sets a wage, literally hundreds of
Independent plants and shops fall
in line. Similarly. Its policies set
the policies of others.
The G. I. o. is out to organize all
steel and shipbuilding plants.
U. S. Steel, thus far, has stead
fastly stood out against the union
shop. To win one IN its coal mines
would be to crack it's armor.
1t may be recalled that the Fed
eral Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. at
Kearny, N. j., was a wholly owned
subsidiary Of U. S. Steel.
When the Mediation Board recon-
mended last summer that the c. I.
o. Industrial Union of Marine &
Shipbuilding Workers be given a
union maintenance contract. U. S.
Steel preferred instead to let the
Government take over the plant.
Baked at Kearny Clause.
L. H. Korndorf, president of Fed
eral Shipbuilding. said: I'VE are
unwilling to abandon the defense of
the freedom of the American worker
to choose whether he will belong to
8 union or not"
The company stood on that posi-
ton, and, to get the yard in opera
ton again, the Government had to
seize it and direct the Navy to
operate.
The union maintenance clause
was not so inclusive as the union
shop. 1t provided that workers who
had joined the union, or who might
join it in the future, would have
to maintain their union membership
in good standing or be discharged.
There was no requirement in the
contract itself that any workers
join the union. But Big Steel
baked at that.