Evening star., 1949-09-30
Anthracite Diggers
And $4,000 Men
In West Affected
BY the kssocioted Press

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS,
w. Va. Sept. 30.-One-fifth Of the
country's coal miners got orders to
get back to work today. But the
rest will stay out on strike.
John L. Lewis, president of the
United Mine Workers. told 10000
anthracite miners and $4,000 coal
diggers west of the Mississippi to
resume production next Monday
on their usual f1ve-day week.
/. Around 100000 soft coal miners
In the North, South and Midwest
will carry on the walkout they
started September 10 after sus-
pension of payments into their
pension fund.
Their negotiations with oper-
ators are at a standstill and there
is no sign of break.
Mr.. Lewis sent out telegram
which said:
'The suspension Of mining in
the Western and anthracite areas
is not now vital to the, pending
wage negotiations.
Kennedy Reads Telegram.
Thomas Kennedy. UNIV vice
president, who is in charge of
union negotiators here in the alb
sence of Mr.. Lewis, read the tele-
gram.
1t affects the three United Mine
Workers anthracite districts in
Eastern Pennsylvania. It also COW
ers seven districts in 10 Western
Etates-Washington, Iowa, Kan
sas, Colorado, New Mexico. Okla
homa, Missouri, Wyoming, Utah
and Montana.
When Mr.. Lewis ordered a
three-day work week beginning in
July, the anthracite and Western
fields were not affected. The
miners there did. however. join
their brethren in the September
10 walkout over the pension situa-
ton.
Neither Mr.. Lewis nor any other
UNIV officer called the strike.
The miners in all areas simply did
not go to work. The shutdown
has been marked in many bitumi-
nous areas with violence involving
l1on-union mines which wanted to
continue operation.
Lewis at Mothers Bedside.
The Western States produce
around 10 per cent of the Nations
soft coal, or about 60,000,00 tons
q year. The hard coal fields yield
about $1,000, 900 tons annually.
Mr.. Lewis, who is in Springfield,
H., at the bedside of his 91-year-
old mother, said in the telegram:
1.-THE suspension of mining in
the western and anthracite areas
is now vital to the pending wage
negotiations. To minimize loss to
all parties. all mine workers in
the before mentioned areas are
requested to return to work and
resume coal production Monday,
October 8. until further notice.
This policy covers anthracite
districts /, 7 and 8, and bitumin-
Gus coal districts 10, 13, IA. Is,
81, % and 27. District presidents
will please execute this policy"
Have Continuing Contract.
The wire also was signed by
Kennedy and by John Owens,
who heads UNIV negotiators with
Southern coal producers at Blue
field.
The anthracite miners have a
continuing contract with opera
tors, which is amended from time
to time. There have been some
recent negotiations. however.
After reading the telegram, Mr..
Kennedy noted that Western pro-
duction goes mostly to household
ers. The Western mines do not
compete with the East, he added,
and the back work action was
taken to meet special problems of
the Far West.
Virtually all anthracite coal is
used for house heating, too.
The Northern and Western op-
orators resumed talks with the
union this morning but soon re-
cessed until next Wednesday.
Both sides exchanged charges of
bad faith after yesterdays short