Evening star., 1943-12-12
WA ws'sassSn snsn1s, TEN CENTS p iEa'sSssTf CRNfs
Accord Reached
On Pay Rise for
Mine Workers
Tentotive Contract
Matches Provisions
Of Ickes-Lewis DeoI
Py the Associated Press.

VI lCkeS-LeWIS Deal
Ry the Associated Press.
| A subcommittee of soft coal
operators and the United Mine
Workers agreed yesterday on the
terms Of a contract substantially
matching the wages and working
conditions of the Ickes-Lewis
agreement, under which the
Government is now operating
the mines.
The new agreement must cross
several hurdles before it becomes
an effective, binding contract, but
it is the first step toward restoration
OF the mines to their private owners
and the termination of tie nine
month-old wage dispute.
The agreement is subject to action
/ Of the joint conference of operators
and miners which will meet next
Friday. The conference represents
approximately Ct per cent of the
also is subject TO War Labor Board
approval and to further adjustment
Of price ceilings more favorable to
the operators.
Travel Pay Retroactive.
In addition to the terms of the
agreement between Secretary of In
terror Ickes and UNIV Chieftain
John L. Lewis, the accord reached
yesterday provides for the payment
Of $40 to each miner as a retroac-
tive settlement for underground
travel time. Operators say this in
IDENTITIES them against claims for
all back pay for travel time.
The tonnage represented by the =
agreement includes the Northern
Appalachian field, both commercial
and captive Indiana, Illinois and a
number of other Midwest and West
ern districts.
/ Mr.. Ickes, receiving the terms Of
the proposed contract, said:
/ This agreement marks realistic
step forward toward the security of
the Nations wartime coal supply.
shall expect the operators whose
representatives drew it to complete
/ its execution Immediately so that it
can be speedy submitted to the War
Labor Board for decision.
Up to Southern Operators.
"We are now making progress to-
ward creating the conditions under
which the mines can be returned to
private management. The only way
in which normal conditions can be
secured is with an effective operator
miner contract"
Mr. Ickes said it is now up to the
operators who did not participate
in the agreement TO reach an un-
derStanding with the mine workers
at once, so that We can get on with
the winning of the war without
danger OF further interruption Of
coal production"
The principal operator groups not
represented in the conference are
the Southern Appalachian and Ala
bama groups.
! Edward R. Burke, president Of
the Southern Coal Producers Asso-
citation. said the question of partici-
pating in the join wage conference
Friday would be submitted to the
association, but he would advise
against attending. The proposed
contract, he said. ought not to be
approved by the War Labor Board.
l don't think the board will ap-
prove unless it changes its minds,
and I don't think the board will
change its mind"
In transmitting the agreement to
Mr.. IckeS, the committee called at
tentlon to the fact that it will not
become effective and binding on the
coal operators until the Office of
Price Administration has increased
maximum prices of coal sufficiently
to cover the increased costs occa-
stoned by the agreement. The COM
mlttee added that it was looking to
Mr.. Ickes for help in obtaining these
increases.
Want Further Price Boost.
The OPA boosted the price of soft
coal an average of IT cents a ton
after the WLB approved the Ickes-
Lewis agreement. Operators say,
however, that amount did not cover
all the increased costs.
Duplicating the Ickes-Lewis
agreement, the new contract would
provide for continuation of a
portal-to-portal day of nine hours
for all inside employees, including a
l5-minute lunch period which is not
paid for. The agreement also as
sumes As minutes for travel time.
Where the travel time is actually
only 45 minutes, the miners there
fore will have eight hours for pro-
duction Of coal, an hour a day more
than they worked under their
l941-43 contract with the operators.
A presidential commission is COL
lectfng data on travel time which
the WLB says it must have before
passing on a miner-operator con-
tract. If the travel time is found
to exceed as minutes, production
time would be correspondingly less,
and the WLB. under the terms Of
(See COAL. Page AID
lD@:L DLJ