The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1948-08-12
Coal Miners Win
Wage And Welfare
Fund Increases

Mine Workers last week won ST.
a-day wage boost for over 100000
bituminous coal miners, and a con-
tract doubling employer contribu-
tions to the industry's welfare and
retirement fund.
Harry M. Moses, representative
of the Captive mines" owned by
the steel industry protested the
agreement, but said that the steel
companies would ego along" Then
contrary orders were received
from the steel barons and Moses
refused to sign.
The new agreement was negoti-
ated by UNIV President John l..
Lewis and enthusiastically accept
ed by the. unions 200-man wage
policy committee.
Settlement of the dispute came
within few days of Judge T. AL
Ian Goldsborough's ruling that the
1947 pension fund may operate by
a majority vote of it's trustees,
whether owner appointee Ezra Van
Horn likes it or not.
Goldsborough upheld the unions
case on all important points. The
pension fund is a charitable trust,
not a private trust, under the law,
he said, and therefore a majority
vote is enough to put it into opera
tion. So, the judge who fined the
union $1,420,0O0 when Van Horns
refusal to permit the fund to pay
benefits prompted the coal diggers
to walk out, finally concluded that
the miners were right on the real
question at issue.
Immediately after Goldsbor-
ough's ruling, Lewis, who had fear
ed that the operators stalling at
previous negotiationg sessions
would force another shutdown,
stated that settlement would be
reached if the government didn't
interfere by seeking another anti
strike injunction. For one it did
not, and within 48 hours the con-
tract was signed.
Under the new welfare clause,
a 20c-a-ton owners contribution to
the fund will raise its income to
about $100,O00,0OO year-an am
pie sum for the contemplated pro-
gram of health, accident, retire
ment and death benefits.
The $1-a-day pay raise increases
the average miners wage to about
$14 day.
All other provisions of the 1947
contract were. reinstated. These in
clude the eight-hour portal-to-por-
tai pay, with paid lunch period, the
union shops, and a 500 annual va
cation allowance for the miners.
The last-minute refusal of
Moses, manager of US Steers
mines, to sign for "big steel" and
the other mine-owning steel produc-
ers. whom he represented at the
may cost his bosses a
strike. If they don't back down in
the meantime they'll find them
selves isolated, and with no chance
of buying enough coal on the open
market to keep their blast fur
naces going.
During the discussions Moses
talked about the Taft -Hartley's re-
quirement Of an NLRB authorize
ton ballot as a condition to the
signing of a union shop contract.
If US Steel continues to hold out
this is expected to be one of its
talking points"
Altho constantly mounting living
costs make 81 more day welcome
to any wage Garner, the most inn
portant gain to most miners is the
final settlement of the welfare fund
problems.
Men with 20 years service, who
have reached the age of 81, will
soon be receiving 800 month
pensions if they retire. Commit
ments made on the virtually ex-
1916 fund can now be met.
This means that about 100000
miners and their families who have
been benefitting from it will con-
tinue to receive payments.
Lewis refused to yield point
to the coal owners, insisting that
the unions case was totally just.
An attempt to commit the union
TO the new contract for two years