The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1943-08-12
Miners Get First
Reul Break In Lonq
WdgeControversY
Members OF WLB Have
Eyes Opened On Portal
To-Portul Decision

Washington, ID. c. Americas coal
miners this week appeared at last to
have won real break in their long
battle for a square deal on wages.
| The ice cracked at hearing cor
Quoted by the National War Labor
Board on an agreement reached be
tween the United Mine Workers and |
the Illinois Coal Operators Associa
ton for a S125 Il day increase in the
miners pay rates.
| Under that pact, the raise settles |
all claims by the union for ''portal-to- |
portal pay-that is compensation for |
underground travel to and from the |
mine face.
\ recent United States Circuit Court |
of Appeals decision held that such |
travel time must be included under the
terms of the Wage-Hour Act and must !
be paid for as such. The Act was
passed in October, 1893, and under the
courts ruling operators are confronted
with huge liability for back pay
ments and for current travel time
Compromise Worked Out
! TO settle the whole issue, the union
and the Illinois operators reached a
compromise under which a S1.2J a
day raise would cover both the back
wage liability and payments for travel
time up to the expiration Of the agree
ment, April !, 1945.
Both the operators and the union
bafnra tho War 7 ut,r poo rI
Tuesday and urged approval Of the
agreement. Their arguments at first
got Il somewhat chilly reception from
the board, but the atmosphere changed
when the real meaning of the courts
decision came to light.
As presented by Champion Harris,
attorney for thegninerS and confirmed
by the operators, the decision makes
the owners liable for all travel time
beyond the seven-hour working day
and 35-hour working week.
Court Ruling Misinterpreted
Apparently, public and employer
members of the board, when they de
MED portal pay to the miners in the
major coal controversy involving the
Appalachian fields, hadn't examined
the court opinion carefully. They inter
preted it then as allowing pay for
travel time only after eight hours Il
day and 10 hours Il week.
The new Interpretation came as Il
bombshell, and some members of the
Opened their eyes
This sheds new light on the case"
exclaimed Wayne l.. Morse public
: member. The issue in this form has
: never been before the board before"
Chairman William H. Davis, who
started out by asking critical ques
tions aimed at determining whether
the settlement amounted to dis
guiSed> wage increase contrary to the
; Little Steel formula, Softened up his
queries and made it clear that our
minds are open.
Lewis Clinches Case
Labor members of the board led by
George Meany, secretary treasurer of
the \. +. of L., pressed home the point
To the miners advantage and President
, John l.. Lewis of the L. NJ. W., who
up to this stage had kept silent and
glum, arose to clinch the miners case
In more than 10 years the United
, Mine Workers have consistently held
that the miners are entitled to com
penSation for travel time" he said
This country is the only one in the
civilized world where coal diggers are
not paid for such time"
The issue had not been pressed
strongly up to now partly because OF
the poor financial condition of the
industry and partly because in nego-
tiations the Miners always had other
demands which took precedence, Lewis
said.
But the Miners have never relin-
quiShed their right to such compen>a-
ton, he stressed In fact. they were
entitled by law to far more than the
amount called for under the Illinois
, agreement, but compromised for the
sake of IL settlement, he said.
, Ask No FavOrs
These miners ask no favorS." Lewis
stressed They do not shrink from
death to mine the coal needed by the
nation. They have Il just claim. BY
approving this agreement. the board
will abate the long controversy, pro-
ducton for our war effort will increase
and relations between workers and
management will improve"
Lewis has contended that the Illinois
agreement would become the pattern
for the industry and that the oper-
atorS in the Appalachian fields, who
for months refused to bargain in good
faith with the union. would be forced
to come along. Should the board ap-
prove the agreement, Lewis prediction
would undoubtedly come true,