Evening star., 1947-07-03
Lewis Wins Ascent Pay Raise
Doubled Welfare Fund Royalty
Some Protection F rom Labor Act
Accord to Cover
Only About 1920
OfCouI Industry
By Jones Y. Newton

John L. Lewis won for his mine
workers in the agreement with
steel company and Northern
soft coal operators the equivalent
of IS cents an hour increase in
basic pay, doubled royalty
payments to support the welfare
fund and other concessions, The
Star learned today.
The agreement with the captive"
and Northern Appalachian opera
tors, representing about 40 per cent
of the Nations coal production,
while described as tentative" now
is being reduced to the form OF a
written contract. 1t awaits the ap-
proval Saturday of the United Mine
Workers Policy Committee and the
coal interests represented IN the
secret negotiations. Both are con-
sidered mere formalities.
In the agreement, Mr.. Lewis won
the biggest victory of his career
and probably the best contract ever
negotiated in major industry.
Forced by Steel Interests.
The pact, forced by giant steel
industry interests anxious to keep
their mills rolling at the recent
high rate, removed the grave threat
of a walkout next Tuesday for a
major segment of the coal industry
The miners row are in the middle
of a To-day vacation but were not
expected to return to work on Tues
day If no contract was in existence.
Covered by the agreement are the
mines which feed coal to steel mills,
which are more or less spotted
through all major coal producing
areas Of the North, South, Midwest
and West, and the Northern Appa-
lachian group of commercial opera
tors, with mines in Pennsylvania,
Northern West Virginia, Ohio and
Maryland.
Commercial coal operators from
Indiana, Illinois and States west
of the Mississippi now are consider
ing terms Of the agreement, and 1t
was expected that most Of them will
accept, although reluctantly.
southerners May Refuse Pact.
Directors of the Southern Coal
Producers Association will meet here
at 1890 am. tomorrow to decide
what they will do. This group,
representing nearly rs per cent OF
the Nations tonnage, was not ex-
pected to 60 along with the other
operators, at least Immediately. If
they do not, it was held certain
their mines will not be worked when
the miners vacation ends.
The agreement 'in principle was
announced by the operators and Mr..
Lewis late yesterday after several
days of highly secret conferences
at the Carlton Hotel.
Operators from Indiana, Illinois
and the West had split away from
the captive and Northern oper-
ators when they found the latter
were willing to go beyond the 35-
cent-an-hour increase which Mr..
LEWIS OIlSIlduy uculolluCQ esAO
which the entire group had agreed
to give him last week.
Wins Protection From Law.
Besides the unprecedented high
increase in hourly wage rates and
the 100 per cent increase in well
fare fund, Mr.. Lewis won the fol-
oaraocciprc
/. A half-hour paid lunch period
instead of the current Is minutes.
2. AS full protection from pen
altles of the new Taft-Hartley La
Dor law as the industry can give the
union, including insertion In the
contract to the effect that the
miners will work when liable and
willing" The latter is a protection
against possible penalties for wild
cat" strikes
1t also was understood that the
union will be freed from terms Of
the Taft-Hartley Act, which COM
pels unions or employers to give
(See COAL, Page A-4J