The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-06-11

l kCOIlLlIluGU 1IOIll IdSC AI
 among the miners came from west ern Pennsylvania and West Vir- ginia where the UNIV has some 255. 900 members. Lewis previously had set June 20 as the deadline for agreement on new contract, and the prospects of reaching settle ment of the many issues involved before that time were anything but bright.
 There were these other develop ments which added to the belief that complete settlement was far off:
 l. War Labor Board members in dicated disapproyal of the tentative wage pact with Central Pennsyl- vania operators which Lewis has designated as the basic agreement for the industry.
 2. Appalachian soft coal oper- ators announced that they had com pleted bargaining required under a May 25 VILE order and were break ing off negotiations.
 4SkcS dIlllOulINClllCAlV Ol UllC va day fine raised a storm of protest from union officials here as well as in the coal fields. Lewis called the action "unwarranted and illegap' and said it was brutal application of economic sanctions against free citizens"
 Ickes said the fines were levied under the old wage pact as extended indefinitely by the WLB pending completion of a new agreement. The union, which never has recognized WLB jurisdiction, insited no con- tract was in effect during the stop page until the old contract was re- newed by the UNIV policy com mittee.
 Union spokesmen also protested that If the contract were in effect fines could be levied for only four days - rather than five as Ickes announced - because the agree ment provided no penalty for failure to work Saturday.
 Although Lewis termed the fines illegal, the union gave no hint that legal action was contemplated to block the assessments.
 Ickes' announcement overShadow- ed the WLB hearing at which all Appalachian soft coal operators ex- cept those from Central Pennsyl- vania dropped the wage dispute back into the hands of the board.
 The reaction of VILE members to the tentative agreement between the UNIV and Central Pennsylvania operators for approximately $1.30 a day portal to portal pay offered lit tie indication that the board would approve the settlement. Lewis, un- yielding in his opposition to the board, refused to attend the hear ing.
 The VILE consistently has de- manded that any portal to portal Underground traveD pay settle ment must show a direct relation to the requirements of the wage-hour law. The UNIV based its demand on a federal court decision grant, ing portal to portray pay to iron ore miners under the wage-hour law.
 Spokesmen for the northern and southern Appalachian operators re- iterated their beleif that the pres ent contract recognized under ground travel and that the miners were entitled to no additional pay.
 Wayne L. Morse, WLB public member, hinted at the possibility that the board might take no &C., tion on the issue by asking the op- orators If they were prepared to take the legal consequences of their position and defend 1t in court against a UNIV suit. Edward R.. Burke, chairman of the southern operators committee, replied af1lrm- atively.
 The VILE emphasized its demand for facts to support portal to por- tai settlement in cross examining Charles O'Neill. who led Central Pennsylvania operators out of the Appalachian conference Wednesday and reached the agreement with Lewis.
 ONeill explained that the $l.3o figure was based on one hour of travel daily at an overtime rate because the travel time would be in ] excess of the miners present basic