Evening star., 1945-03-30
Miners
Continued From First Page.)

had persuaded the miners to go
along.
Although Mr.. Lewis agreed to drop
his royalty demand, wage increases
coming to the miners under the
Perkins proposition would have been
considerable. Operators previously
had reported the royalty as the most
distasteful of the Lewis demands
and had indicated willingness to
compromise if it were dropped.
Thirteen Demands Discarded.
Miss Perkins said her proposal
discarded all but five of Mr.. Lewis
Is contract demands. Estimates of
miners average wage increases un-
der the proposition varied from the
operators $1.58 day to the United
Mine Workers 95 cents per day.
Neutral sources placed it at SIPS.
Operators early in the negotiations
offered Mr.. Lewis 81 cents more
pay, and they estimated his full
Is demands represented 1894 day
increase to each miner.
A spokesman for the operators
said the Secretary's proposition was
rejected solely because of its cost.
He said her program would have
added "s180, ,o00. 900 a year to the
cost of coal production without add
ing a single lump to the output" :"
He estimated the added production
cost per ton at 80 cents.
THE Secretary's proposal
amounted to straight wage in
crease in violation of stabilization
policy" the spokesman continued.
eIn addition. the proposal was made
on a straight take-it-or -leaye-it
basis, leaving us no opportunity to
bargain collectively as provided by
law"
Miss Perkins Disagrees.
The last statement was not in ac-
cord with what Miss Perkins told
reporters. She said that after the
operators rejected her proposal Mr..
Lewis agreed to smaller concessions
on several demands, but the opera
tors turned down that offer, too.
'The miners toli me-" Miss Per-
kins said. that # these proposals
had emanated from the operators
no consideration would have been
given them, but since they emanated
from the Secretary of Labor and in
view of the critical war situation,
they said they were willing to 60
along"
Commenting on probable Govern
ment strategy to prevent Interrupt
tion of coal production, the top Of
fetal said he did not expect Federal
seizure unless there was a strike,
despite the fact that the miners on
Wednesday voted more than 8 to to
strike in Smith Connally Act elec-
ton. He said it probably would not
be known until Tuesday whether or
not there would be a strike. Few
miners are expected to work Monday
in any event since it is the anni-
versary of establishment of the
ieight-hour day in the coal industry
and a normal holiday for them.
Operators Reject Extension.
When her efforts to obtain agree
ment on a contract collapsed, Miss
Perkins said she made two other
suggestions. Both were rejected by
the operators. These were extern
sion of the present contract for 30
days with subsequent wage increases
retroactive to April 1, and submis-
sion of the dispute to arbitration by
tri-partite board or in any form.
The miners would have derived
most Of their wage increases under
the Perkins proposal from series
of demands affecting hours which
Mr.. Lewis had Jumped as one. These
called for time-and-a-haIf pay after
seven hours work day, full travel
time pay instead of the present two
thirds rate, and full pay for lunch
for which the workers are now
docked Is minutes. Miners now are
| in the mines nine hours a day with
overtime pay starting after 40 hours
week,
Miners object strenuously to the
present work-week arrangement,
contending that operators frequent
ly lay them off after they have
| worked 40 hours a week.
In addition. Miss Perkins proposed
premium pay of and 8 cents, re-
spectively, for work on second and
third shifts; free detonators and
caps, but not free explosives; free
shoes and goggles; vacation allow
ance of SIS after years service in
stead of the current $50, and MAIN
tenance of the earnings and rate
relationship of outside day men, /"
principally employed in strip" min
| ing.
Firemen Rescue Woman