Evening star., 1948-04-22
Miners Union Big Fine
Seen Trif|e Compared
ToAdvantages Gained
Workers Have Benefited
Repeatedly Since Lewis
Bequn Series Of Strikes
Bv David Laurence

30 far rs the miners union is
concerned. the $l,4oo,00o fine i'm
posed by the Federal Court is,
relatively speaking, a trifie COM
pared to the advantages that come
from defying the employers and the
courts by means of q work stoppage.
The advantage gained by the
miners union through the so-calIed
settlement of the pension-fund dis
pute runs into many millions OF
dollars. If the only penalty for
forcing the issue and ignoring the
law is a fine in dollars, there Is no
reason why the strike method
should not be repeated when the
present contract between miners
and operators ends on June so. An
other injunction wouldn't mean
nuch-possibly another fine-but
John L. Lewis and the miners
union can afford such minor pen
alties. The end. in their opinion,
could, financially at least, justify
the means.
A survey Of what Mr.. Lewis has
gotten for the miners union ever
since he began the series Of strikes
in 1919 shows that the miners have
benefited repeatedly Although an
estimated total of 23s 100000 man.
DAYS have been lost in the more
than 5000 strikes that occurred in
the coal industry in the last 80
years, Mr.. Lewis can point to many
achievements.
Obtained Since 1910.
Among these, taking only what
has been obtained since 1910, are
the following:
. /. A wage Of $1.63 now, as COM
pared with s5.7 cents an hour In
1910.
2. One hour q day in travel time
and BIS cents q day for luncheon,
as compared with none IN 1910.
8 Four cents an hour on the sec
ond shift and cents an hour on
the third shift as extra night pay,
as compared with none in 1910.
4. A welfare fund Of $4,000, 900
a year, as compared with none In
1910.
5. Tools and equipment now sup
piled by the company. instead OF by
the miner.
6. State compensation for mine
accidents applicable in all States
now, but not compulsory IN all
States in 1910.
7. Paw differentials existed be-
tween the North and South In 1910
but the same rates apply now.
8. The take-home pay in 1910 was
$50 In the North and $28 In the
South for IS hours Of work IN 1910
and now 1t Is $8482 for 48 hours IN
both the North and South.
The question is whether some OF
these benefits could have been OBJ
tanned by some more sensible pro-
cedure than strikes. The question
also is whether Government can any
longer tolerate such an expensive
means of making labor agreements.
For within the last day or so Iron
Age, a trade publication devoted to
news of steel, said that approxi-
mately 100000 tons of steel pro-
duction have been lost by the 1948
coal strike and that the supply OF
steel Is the tightest in years. The
steel loss is said by this magazine
to be equal to a production loss OF
100000 automobiles. 10000 farm
tractors, 100000 refrigerators, 200,-
900 stoves, 200 900 washing machines,
1000 miles of 20-inch oil pipeline,
10000 freight cars and II oil tankers.
Federal Law Defied.
This is an immense loss in goods,
but the financial loss to industry
and transportation has been sepa-
rately estimated at about $l00, 0,000,-
ooO Mr.. Lewis defied the Federal
law, which requires that certain
Neps be taken in an orderly way
before a wEk stoppage is called or
encourages There has beena talk
of passing antitrust laws to prohibit
all forms of monopoly, including
Nation wide control of unions. But
II the laws are defied or ignored
and the only penalty Is a fine, the
question arises whether this Is a
sufficient deterrent.
Mr.. Lewis was convicted OF con-
tempt of court because he did not
call off the work stoppage when
ordered to do so by the court. In
stead, he delayed and, with the
assistance of Speaker Martin,
worked out an arrangement for
handling the pension dispute that
afforded an excuse to send the
miners back to work. Apparently it
wasn't a settlement, as the coal op-
orators now have gone to court ask
ing that the proposed arrangement
be set aside as violating the pension
provisions Of the Taft-Hartley law.
The real issue in the coal dispute
Is what means the Government shall
exercise to compel obedience to its
mandates. Mr.. Lewis has twice been
convicted of contempt. II fines are
to be his only punishment he can
afford to be as casual about 1t as the
auto driver who forfeits collateral
for his various offenses.
rparradurtiou pirhts Reseryed)