Evening star., 1948-07-05
Strike Of 10000
||nCaptivekines
Likely Tonight
Others to End Holiday;
Steel Refuses to Meet
Lewis New Demands

NEW ANTHRACITE CONTRACT
Doubles Welfare Fund Contribu-
tions. Page AS
BY the Associated Press
All signs pointed today to a
soft, coal strike in the mines
owned by the Nations steel COM
panies.
The annual vacation of the
nearly 100000 soft coal miners ends
at midnight tonight, but the 10000
employed in the so-called captive"
steel company mines were not ex-
pected to resume work without q
contract.
The steel industry baked at CIV
ing John L. Lewis and his United
Mine Workers the union shop ar
ransement signed by the commercial
coal industry. The mine owning steel
mills said they were wiling to go
along with other contract provisions
"a dollar-a-day pay increase and
doubling of the miners 1947 10
cents-a-ton welfare fund royalty.
U. S. Will Wait for Strike.
Government attorneys indicated
they will wait for strike to develop
before making any court move to
stop it.
Various steps are open to the Gov
ernment.
Robert N. Denham, general coun-
sci of the National Labor Relations
Board. could ask the courts for an
order to stop the strike. This, how
ever. could be done only after in
vestigation of a complaint by the
steel companies that Mr.. Lewis Is
violating the Taft-Hartley Act by
insisting on the union shop pro-
vision.
Under a union shop, all employees
must Join the union within speci-
fed time.
The commercial coal industry
agreed to a union shop provision in
the face of Taft Hartley provision
that workers must give their prior
consent in an NLRB election.
Lewis Barred From Calling Vote.
Mr.. Lewis is barred from calling
for such an election. This Is be-
cause. to show his hatred of the
ft-Hartley Act, he has refused to
sign the non-C Communist affidavit
required by the law before union
can use NLRB machinery.
Another step the Government
might take is seizure of the cap
tive" mines. This could be done
under the new draft law because
of the effect of a further steel
shortage on defense production, al
though President Truman said last
week he planned no such move.
If he took that step, the miners
would become Government employees
and could be forbidden to strike by
the courts.
A protracted strike in the captive
mines would hit quickly at the Ma
tions economy.
Steel Stockpile Believed Good.
Most of the coal the captives pro-
duce is converted into coke to fuel
the blast furnaces which produce
needed steel. Choking off steel
supplies would hit the automotive
industry, the makers of refrigerators
and stoves and the thousands Of
other articles fashioned of steel.
Steel company stockpiles are gen.
orally believed to be high although
the steel producers refuse to dis
close Just how much coal they have
on hand.
The worlds largest coal pile" of
Carnegie Illinois Steel Corp. at
Clarion, Pa, is overflowing. The
pile is estimated to hold approxi-
mately 100000 tons or about 30
day supply. Carnegie-1llinois Is the
largest United States Steel subsid-
larry.
Would Hit Industry.
However, Harry M. Moses OF
Pittsburgh, chief negotiator for the
steel mines and president OF H. G.
Prick Coke Co., a United States
Steel subsidiary, said:
THE existing coal stockpiles OF
these companies are quite limited.
A reduction in steel production at
this time, when steel is so much IN
demand, would strike serious blow
at general industrial activity"
A captive strike would hit hardest
in Western Pennsylvania, where
q 900 of the areas $4,000 miners
work in steel company pits.
About half of the area mines fall
into this category.
The other captive pits are scat
tered in West Virginia, Kentucky.