Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-08-03
Portal Pay Demand
Defended by Lewis
Before WlB
Continued From First Page.

HvIV1~ w ~
Continued From First Page.)
compromise settlement of a liability,
the payment is really being made by
the consumers of this country and
not by these operators"
The immediate issue was WLB
approval or disapproval of the con-
tract between the UNIV and the
Illinois Coal Operators Association,
but the UNIV is seeking to make
this model" contract for the Ap-
palachian and other coal areas. The
Illinois contract provides $1.25 por-
tal-to-poltal pay and an extra hours
production work at time-and-a-half
rates. Together they would amount
to $2.75 or more day. Concessions
granted previously by WLB-free
tools and equipment-would bring
the total to approximately So.
Likewise arguing for board ap-
proval, George F. Campbell, presi-
dent of the Illinois Coal Operators
Association, declared the contract
would bring peace to the industry
and will provide more coal to win
the war" He explained that the
agreement would become effective
only after it had been approved by
appropriate Government agencies
and after the Office of Price Admin
istration had granted increases in
maximum prices to offset the in
creased production costs.
With Mr.. Lewis sitting at the head
of a table facing the board he has
frequently criticized as a court
packed against labor" Mr.. Harris
said the miners had prepared and
were ready to file suits to enforce
their demands for portal-to-portal,
or travel time, pay The litigation,
he said, was withheld because of
Mr.. Lewis desire to obtain a peace
full settlement and restore normal
operations in the industry.
IT we could bring peace to the
industry we felt that it would be a
genuine public service" he declared.
Mr.. Harris said surveys showed
that in many cases the travel time
spent by miners in going from the
portal of a mine to the actual dig
gings ran as high as one hour and
40 minutes. He asserted all this was
spent under the direction of en-
ployers, but the miners were paid
for none of the time.
Says Claim Isn't Fictitious.
IF that is not work I don't know
what work Is" he added. I'VE have
claim for real money. 1t isn't nc
titious."
Our problem" Mr.. Harris said.
sis to help America win the war and
not to destroy the very things we
are fighting for"
Hubert E. Howard, president of
the Pyramid Coal Corp. of Illinois,
said the contract was the best set
Element We could get, and, like sane
businessmen, we accepted it."
Mr.. Campbell said the operators,
in arriving at the proposed settleA
;nent on portal-to-portai compen-
sation. used as base the wage of ST
a day, or 81 an hour. They then
estimated the portal TO portal time
at "a minutes. or nine-tenths of an
hour, which would provide compen-
sation OF 80 cents day at straight
time rates. The number of en-
ployes who travel inside the mines
was estimated at IS per cent of total
employees; IS per cent of 90 cents
brought the figure down to 1871
cents, and, for the purpose of set
Element, we compromised on so per
cent of this amount, or 38A cents
per day"
Spread Over Two Years.
The number of working days from
October, 1938-when, the miners
contend, travel pay became due I'M
Ger the wage and hour law-through
March 81, 1945, the expiration date
Of the proposed contract, was esti-
| mated at 1900.
At the rate of 1914 cents daily,
Mr., Campbell explained, each miner
was entitled to s497.25, and spread
ing this over the two years of the
new contract, or 400 days, resulted
in the figure Of $l.25 a day for the
next two years.
The proposed contract does not
provide In so many words for wage
rate increase, which the board has
said it cannot grant under the wage
sterilization program. The WLB
decision in the Appalachian wage
case said it would not approve a
hidden" wage increase under the
guise OF portal-to-portal pay.
The board served notice that II
the UNIV felt it had a just claim
for underground travel time under
the Fair Labor Standards Act it
had a right to sue in the Federal
courts or to settle such a lawsuit
out OF court. However, the board
said an out-of court settlement is
subject to its approval and must
not contain a hidden wage in
crease"