Evening star., 1943-11-04
Miners Are Returninq
Slowly 10 Pits as
Coal Strike Ends


Continued From First Page.)
the morning shift. but UNIV Off
clals expected assumptions by to-
night.
Ohio had many small wagon mines
working and expected assumptions
IN larger pits on the afternoon shift
No Indiana mines were immedi-
atcly worked but meetings of locals
were arranged.
Small Turnout in Tennessee.
Tennessee had only a small turn
out at its workings, its largest pits
being unnamed this morning be-
cause of delays in delivering noices
of the agreement.
Announcing the settlement, Mr..
Lewis and other officers of the UNIV
yesterday sent this telegram to the
miners:
The Government of the United
States through the Secretary of the
Interior has today executed a salts
factory wage agreement with the
United Mine Workers of America,
effective this date and continuing
through the period of Government
operation of anthracite and bitumi-
nous mines.
Approved by Policy Committee.
The International Policy Com
mlttee by unanimous vote has ap-
proved this agreement and instructs
ali members of the United Mine
Workers OF America IN mines now
IDLE to resume production of coal at
the earliest possible moment.
Your international officers end
members OF your Scale and Policy
Committees of all districts urge I'M
mediate compliance with this con-
tract and the fullest degree of CO.
operation to make 1t effective.
Copies of the agreement and ex-
planation OF all details will be
promptly mailed.
Let every member recognize that
the Nations imperative need Tor
coal requires the most prompt ac-
ton in restoring the mines to tull
production
Four Strikes This Year.
The union miners have been with
out contract since April !. There
have been four strikes this year as
direct outcome of the wage argu-
mentS. and Mr. Roosevelt has ord
cred the mines seized by the Gov
eminent twice. Originally. the UNIV
asked a pay boost of approximately
s. a day; some operators offered SO
cents The Illinois contract. offered
as a model, provided 81 50. The WLB
said SLIP could be approved. but
more than that would violate the
hold-the Line policy against inna-
u0n.
The basis Of settlement provided
no simple, categorical answer to the
simple question: who won?'
If the WLB approves. it will 60 so
under its own Interpretation Of the
wage stablliza,lon policy. The
miners will get more money, but II
will mean increased working time in
most cases. They VIII get paid for
UNDERGROUND travel time. but only
after 40 hours a week.
The bItumlnous sections Of the
agreement provides the same earn
ings as were proposed in the Illinois
contract which the WLB rejected.
The new pact proposes to meet the :
WLB's terms. however, BY halvlnG
the lunch period and adding the
quarter-hour thus saved TO the pro-
ductIve day at time and a half
The new soft coal work day is 83s
hours portal TO portal, which is the
time the miner spends producing
coal and travelling 70 and from his
place OF work underground Eight
hours of this is measured as produc-
tive time and three-QuarterS of an
hour as travel time. The OLD seven
hour Gay was all productive time.
The effect on the miner is this
He receives So. 50 a day instead Of
ST and agrees TO dig coal an hour
longer for the increase. That is con-
sonant with the old contract which
provided time and a half after seven
I'iNl : a NictN lIt'NC Z al I4IIIS'Nr 4p4
purposes. apply 10 the
man receiving the basic wage. He
is an inside day labOrer and his pay
is virtually the minimum for able
bodied underground men. Miners Cn
a higher rate get a proportionately
higher increase.
To compute the earnings for q
SIX -dav week. the s., hour work
GAY a $3.50 can be broken down
INTO a rate of 9714 cents an hour.
The total slX-Gay week is 521.
hours, of which 10 hours are paid
for at straight time and l21. hours
at time and a half This comes to
a little over S57. The same mans
present earnings for a siX-day week
of 2 hours all productive, is S45 so.
The outside day laborer. now get
ting baoiC wage of S6 a day. will
work g. hours and receive S7.6l.
Anthracite Wage Breakdown.
In tEe case of anthracite miners.
no Qortal-toportal problem is in
volVsd. Their present productive
day is undlSturbed except for the
reduction in lunch period for. "day
and monthly men, those paid on a
time basis rather than output.
The increase of 37.8 cents is paid
for the IS minutes which is taken
from lunch, The WLB estimated
anthracite earnings at S7O8 for
seven-hour day. This breaks down
to Sl0l-plus an hour. A quarter of
that is 25 cents plus At time and
a half, the result is 37.6 cents.
Other Developments.
In related developments yesterday
the Government supported portal
to-portal pay for underground min
ers, Mr.. IckeS accused Harry M.
VaWter, general manager of the
Bituminous Coal Institute. of falsely
denying there is a coal shortage in
order to make special plea" for
the coal producers. and Senator
Byrd, Democrat, of Virginia declared
the coal strike violated the anti
strike law, and said MI. Lewis
should be punished like anv other