Evening star., 1946-05-15
Owners Reply to Lewis
The tert of the soft coal oper.

The tert OF the soft coal 0per-
ators' Negotiating Committees
statement rejecting John L.
LeUis' demand for per cent
payroll leuy to finance a miners
,Deltare fund tolloiDs:
Sixty-two days after the national
bituminous joint wage conference
began, the operators Negotiating
Committee was furnished by Mr.
Lewis an outline of six reasons fol-
the ablishment of union con-
trolled health and welfare" fund
financed by contribution from the
operators equal to per cent Of
gross payrolls. this 7 per cent to be
applied to gross payroll in excess
of one billion dollars per year, or a
yield of S70,0OO,OO0 This vast sum
is to be raised by the assessment OF
a payroll tax to be paid by the
operators and the proceeds turned
over to the union, which is to be the
sole administrator and disburser OF
the funds.
The reasons advanced by Mr.
Lewis are:
81. To furnish adequate and mod
ern medical service to the coal
miners and their dependent fami.
lies with a choice of physicians
which, in many areas, particularly
in the South, they do not now have
We plan to replace the present
company doctor scourge.
%. To provide adequate hospital
ization under proper standards.
To Provide Insurance.
"3. To provide insurance, life in
surance and health insurance for
the miners, which they cannot now
purchase. Life insurance now costs
the mine worker about PIT per cent
of what it costs people in sedentary
occupations. Obviously, he cannot
purchase it at that price. Obviously
he has no insurance as a result and
his family is unprotected in case OF
death by violence in the mines OF
from natural causes. This fund can
| provide insurance on a mass basis
much more cheaply than the indi-
vidual can buy it himself, even If he
is capable Of buying it, which he is
not.
a. The fourth reason is rehabili-
tation. Men who are injured and
disabled in the mines through the
loss of limbs, blindness or other
major physical injuries need reha-
bilitation. There are no facilities
available to the mine workers now
and there are probably living $4,000
men who have been incapacitated
from further mining through inju-
ries who have received no assistance
In rehabilitation or training for
other vocational employment.
aid in distress or hardship cases
Families that become impoverished
because they have not received COM
pensation provided by the States
due to the manipulation of the
company doctor system and by rea-
son of testimony of the company
doctor, which is the only medical
testimony available because nc
other doctor is permitted to attend
the victim. The mine worker cam
not secure other medical testimony
to refute the claims of the company
doctor. In consequence, his award
for total disability may be cut to as
low as 80 per cent and his family
becomes impoverished. There are
thousands of such cases.
IS. If any money is left in the
fund we propose to use 1t for cul-
tural and educational work among
the mine workers."
Demands Held Immeasurable.
1t is to be noted that at least
three of these demands are i'm
measurable on any actuarial or othe,
basis and would result in expend.
iture of many more millions thar
those that are measurable, and that
the limits upon the expenditure Of
money are not explained nor speci.