Evening star., 1943-06-23
Back-to-Mines Trek
Calls Off Plans 10
Cut Steel Output
Return Of Large Numbers
Of Workers in Afternoon
And Evening Expected
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
. 3d.. PITTSBURGH, June 23.-Endine
their third work stoppage in sever
weeks, members of the United Mine
Workers began returning to stee
company-owned coal pits in Penn.
sylvania and West Virginia today
as union officials relayed word te
the men Of the truce announced by
their Policy Committee at Washing
ton.
The back to- work trek was a mere
trickle on the morning shifts. but
an increasing number was expected
to report on afternoon and night
shifts. Operators and union repre-
sentatives in the Pittsburgh area
looked for a general resumption OF
work tomorrow.
The United States Steel Corp. es-
timated its Pennsylvania and West
Virginia mines would produce 1000
tons of coal today, a fraction of
normal capacity. A spokesman esti-
mated Is per cent of the coal dig
gers were back at work at corpora
ton operated mines in West Vir-
ginia and per cent at Pennsylvania
mines.
Prospects that the coal supply
would soon be replenished caused
steel officials to call off plans for
further curtailment of operations
United States Steel, which was hit
hardest. announced it closed only
S of its 81 Pittsburgh area blast
furnaces and l3 more shutdowns
scheduled by tomorrow might not
be necessary now.
Orders Put Through.
John Komolo, UNIV organizer in
the Uniontown (PaO area, said he
was notified by district 4 officials
that the miners should return to
work Immediately. Remarking that
he was putting through these orders
right and left" Mr. Komolo pre-
dicted sizable turnouts at afternoon
and night shifts today. He said
some union locals held meetings to
vote on the matter. but others did
not, depending on the wishes of their
officials.
The Jones & Leughlin Steel Corp.
and the Pittsburgh Coal Co.. second
largest commercial producer, ex-
pected their mines would not be
running until tomorrow.
Some union leaders commented
that the miners were not anxious
to return without a contract.
Miners Reported Dissatisfied.
Adolph Pacihco, Bellaire, Ohio.
vice president of District s, UNIV,
one of the few to permit himself to
be quoted publicly, expressed opinions
that were approved "off the record"
by half a dozen veteran Pennsyl-
vania mine union leaders.
1T will be hard to get many of
our men to go back to work" Mr.
Pacifico said Il never saw a group
so dissatisfied with the way the ad-
ministration has kicked our contract
around"
Mr.. Pacifico said many miners
believed Federal agencies concerned
in contract negotiation were try
ing to get John L. Lewis" and re-
ported miners wives had threatened
to picket mines and refuse to cook
for their men and wash their dirty
clothes II they go back to work
without q contract
william largest, veteran secre-
tary-treasurer of UNIV District S.
Pittsburgh, predicted the men would
carry out the mandate Of the Policy
Committee, but added he didn't
know when and that there might
be some trouble getting work re-
sumed.
Worker Calls 1t Raw Deal"
Comments from actual coal dig
gers, selected from many obtained
in Pennsylvania, gave some indica-
ton of the trend
Il think we got a raw DEAL" said
Jack Lavery, loader at the Gates
Mine Of the H. c. Frick Coke Co.,
near Uniontown. Il don't believe
We should work without a raise.
don't like it."
II had lot of confidence in
Lewis up to now but perhaps
he knows what is best for u.s." said
Charles Ambrosky, jr., another
'Gates loader. "Of course if we're
'ordered back we'll go. But l think
I'VE should get more money"
In contrast, Hugh White, vice
president of the Illinois district
where the union and the Illinois op-
orators tentatively had agreed to a
contract providing for s130 a day
extra pay for underground travel.
predicted his $4,000 members would
be on the job by tomorrow. A
spokesman for the AFL Progressive
Miners Union added that $500 Of
their members, who walked out
Monday in sympathy with the UNIV
group, also would return to work.
C. Fremont Davis, Fairmont, w.
Va, president of the Northern West
Virginia UNIV district, also pre-
dicted miners there would return
tomorrow and that some shifts