Evening star., 1943-06-02

rent wage fight concerns only the
soft coal miners. Hard coal nego-
tiations were scheduled tentatively
for this afternoon in New York, but
informed sources here said they
probably would be delayed The
anthracite pact usually follows the
pattern of the bituminous coal
agreement.
The futile negotiations yesterday
resembled a dueling match with
! first one side. then the other thrust
ing forward, then retiring to a previ-
GUS stand.
The operators first advised the
! War Labor Board that Mr.. Lewis
was "adamant" in his original de-
mand for a 50 day pay increase,
which would be allowable despite
the Little Steel" formula if it we're
considered as underground travel
pay. Heretofore, the mines did not
pay man for the time he spent 60
ing from the mouth of the mine to
! the working face and back.
| Mr.. Lewis countered with decla-
ration that he was willing to COM
promise. He offered a plan he said
was suggested by Mr.. Jckes, allow
ing the men $3.50 a day for under
ground travel, for the next 80 days.
Meanwhile an employe- Encouragement
commission would study the prob
lem at the mines as a basis for a
permanent agreement.
The producers objected to the
amount of money involved and also
contended any agreement should be
permanent so the operators would
know how much they owe and could
allow for it. The producers dis
closed they had offered to pay for
48 minutes time in travel.
Rejects Conditional Pact.
when we pay sum during an
agreement, it should be all the
money we owe," Mr.. O'Neill told
a joint press conference. I'VE want
stabilizing agreement, contingent
liability might endanger the f1nan-
cial structure OF many coal COM
panies."
Mr.. Lewis commented at that
point that when the operators make
an agreement on retroactive basis,
they shouldn't hedge on 1t like
they are doing now. We want
stabilization of the mine workers
stomachs."
On a basis of straight time wage
rates 48 minutes would mean 80
cents a day for the worker earning
the basic wage of 81 for seven
hour day. At time and half it
was to be $120. The wage -and-hour
law does not require premium rates
until the 40th hour, but the 1941-43
miners wage agreement stipulates
time and half after the 35th hour.
The miners have contended travel
time averaged 80 minutes day and
asked time and half. This would
amount to $2.25 day for each un-
derground man. If surface employees
shared in it the overall average
would be about 81 per man.
Reports from the field indicated
that the mine walkouts were or
derly. The only men working were
the $4,000 members of the Pro-
gressive Miners Union, AFL af-
flliate, in Illinois; q few scattered
nonunion mines and a few pits
where there are independent unions.
One group Of union miners, UNIV
Local 1,056 at Gallitzen, Pa, tele-
graphed President Roosevelt that
the 375 men were anxious to return
to work. James Stafford, president,
said the local would wait a day or
two until the union officials and
operators have had a last chance
to reach an agreement" Then, he
added, a meeting will be called to
vote on return to work. The men,
employed at the mine of the Penn
sylvania Coal & Coke Co., were the
first to call of the walkout month
ago.
The text of Mr.. Ickes' telegram to
the disputants follows:
Reports received today show that
many coal mines are not operating
because of failure of members of
the United Mine Workers to report
fer duty. These workers are en-
pfoyed under a contract which has
been continued in effect by direc-
ton Of the President of the United
States, and I have carried out and
will continue to carry out its pro-
visions.
The failure Of the union mem
bers to work constitutes a strike
against the Government of the
United States, which is in possession
Of the mines. On the other hand,
there are a few powerful operators
who from the beginning had delib-
erately opposed any compromises
which might lead to q reasonable
! settlement.
The failure Of the operators and