Evening star., 1943-05-05
Anthracite Operators
Willing TO Accept
4 Minor Demands
Miners Call on Owners
To Submit Proposals
On Chief Issues
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
NEW YORK, May 5.-Anthracite
operators, making what they termed
their final effort to negotiate con-
tract with the United Mine Work.
ers, today expressed a willingness to
ccncede "in substance" of the
miners 81 proposals, but ruled out
as impossible of fulfllment" the
s2-a-day increase, portal-to- portal
demand and all others involving
large wage increases.
The operators told the miners
that nothing could be gained by
further discussion of these major
wage proposals
The miners later issued a state
ment in which they said the position
Of the operators as outlined today
"is no different than that which they
submitted on April o." and added
they believed the time has arrived
when the operators should desist
in their continual rejection of the
mine workers proposals and initiate
counter proposals covering the major
points involved"
Negotiations to Continue.
Asked whether this meant a re-
lection by the miners of today's pro-
posals by the operators, Thomas
Kennedy, secretary treasurer of the
UNIV, said the statement speaks for
itself. He said, however, that the
negotiations would continue tomor-
row.
The final position" of the oper-
ators was presented by Ralph E.
Taggart, president of the Philadel-
phia & Reading Coal & Iron Co.,
operators spokesman, when the
wage conference resumed its sessions
today. John L. Lewis, president of
the United Mine Workers, instead
of attending as planned, remained
at UNIV Offices preparing for a
union Policy Committee meeting
this afternoon.
The miners asked for caucus
and remained in their separate ses-
sion for an hour and Is minutes.
They returned to the conference
with the operators at pm.
In proposing contract with these
| provisions, the operators demanded
an indemnity against strikes not
authorized by the International
Executive Board of the United Mine
| Workers.
In addition to the four proposals
which the operators expressed a
Willingness to concede in sub
stance" the operators said they be-
| lieved three of the other demands
could be adjusted to the satisfaction
of the miners
Four Demands Listed.
/ Any other concessions, they con-
tended would completely destroy
the anthracite industry and the ma
tional economy"
The four demands the operators
said they were willing to conCede
'in substance" and which they SAID
They already have indicated they arc
in substantial accord with the
miners were listed as:
That the present 6-day week
shall be eliminated when the war
emergency ends
That all rate sheets shall be
brought up to date and supplemental
! agreements recorded therein.
That the agreement shall be for
/ the. period of one year; without,
however, a 30-day termination
clause
That a new section covering COL
lection of dues be written
The three demands the operators
said they believed could be adjusted
involve the blishment of mini
mum shift rates for all classifca-
tions of employees, continuous Shift
operations and vacations.
In rejecting all other demands the
operators said that wage rates today
equal or exceed the Presidents di-
rective limiting increases in wages. :"
They also contended that Increased
earnings have greatly exceeded the
increase in the cost of living"