Evening star., 1943-04-23
Miners
Continued From First Page.)

Government handles their dispute
in accordance with procedures
which they dictate"
Threat to War Effort
Mr.. Morse said the position of
the union constitutes a serious
threat to the war effort and to
national security. We believe that
the Government must take the
necessary steps to assure maximum
production at the Celanese plant
by workers desirous of working
there.
Therefore, unless the strike
called by your union at the Celanese
Corp. plant is called off at once and
the employees involved return to
work. the National War Labor Board
will lay the matter before President
Roosevelt for such action as he
deems appropriate"
The Celanese Corp. produces for
both the Army and the Navy, Mr..
Morse said, and its walkout has
held up production in at least 2l
other war plants dependent on it
for materials"
Collective Bargaining Issue.
Members of the UNIV have been
on strike since April 10 in a dispute
with the Textile Workers of Amer
lea, CIO, over collective bargaining
representation. The CIO union has
been certified by the National Labor
Relations Board.
Meanwhile, more than 1000 coal
diggers in steel company owned
captive. softs.coal mines~were on
strike today with a growing unrest
reported between both sides.
Mr.. Adams described these walk
outs as entirely a district matter"
and added that no reports had been
received from union officials in the
District. -. - = = :
Work Stoppage Explained.
Joseph Yablonsky, international
board member of District pitts
burghD, said the immediate cause of
work stoppage at three pits of the
Republic Steel Corp. Wednesday and
yesterday was the appearance of
Pennsylvania motor police during a
controversy involving 20 men.
Declaring that the miners also
resent "the placing of their own Just
demands for more money before the
War Labor Board" because they
know the cards are stacked against
them there" Mr. Yablonsky said,
Il don't believe anybody can keep
them at work after May l unless a
new agreement is signed"
Mr.. Yablonski said the first 500
miners to strike had voted to do so,
but the other walkouts were "just
iare-ups" and unauthorized.
1--WE are doing all we can to get
the men back to work and to keep
this thing from spreading" he
added
While nearly 1000 men left their
jobs last night at the Isabella mine
of the Weirton Coal Co., National
Steel Corp. subsidiary, the vice
presidents of two West Virginia dis
tricts, William Blizzard of Charles
ton and Cecil j. Urbaniak of Fair
mont, said fatty the miners would
not work after April 80 without a
new contract.
The company said the men made
no explanation of the Isabella walk
out while union spokesman said
the stoppage, which followed by Il
few hours Secretary of Labor Per-
kins' certification of the wage dis
pute to the WLB, developed from
the transfer of three men.
Lewis Charges Recalled.
Mr.. Yablonsky's reference to the
WLB echoed a charge by Mr.. Lewis
early in the current New York nego-
! tiations that Chairman William H
Davis has long knife out waiting
for the union.
Operators groups and union rep
resentatives met today technically
to negotiate further in a session
which may clarity the unions posi-
ton concerning the projection OF
the WLB into the soft coal case.
The certif1cation, ordered yester-
day by Secretary Perkins. followed