Evening star., 1949-06-19
Coal Mine Sfoppage
Ends Tomorrow, Talks
Will Open Wednesday
By jones Y. Newton

tNSW
John l.. Lewis 480, 900 mine
workers end their week long sta
bilization" walkout tomorrow and
the days Immediately ahead may
bring showdown In the new con-
tract struggle between the United
Mine Workers and soft coal opera
tors.
There was no doubt that the
well-disciplined miners would heed
Mr.. Lewis notice to return TO the
pits for the early shifts tomorrow.
The one-week stoppage was or
dered by Mr.. Lewis In the anthra-
cite as well as the soft coal fields
to take care Of overproduction Of
coal and bolster the market.
The miners will return to work
fo- only a week since their To-day
pa vacation starts June Is. The
prc cnt soft coal contract will ex-
pit June 80. and unless a new
sg -ement is drafted before the
end Of the vacation thre may be a
long and bitter strike.
Talks Begin Wednesday.
Operators of the North, Mid
west and West viii begin contract
talks with Mr.. Lewis and a dele
cation from the NMW at 8 pm.
Wednesday at the swank Hotel
Greenbrier in White Sulphur
Springs, w. Va. That group of
operators represent nearly two
thirds of total national production
of soft coal. 7
Negotiations between the, UNIV
and the coal-producing. subsi-
daries Of the United States Steel
Corp. were scheduled to be
resumed in Philadelphia Thurs
day. but unconfirmed reports in
dicated big Steer negotiators
would join the White Sulphur
Springs conference. along with
other steel companies. In that
event the entire industry except
the South will take part in the
meeting.
The Southern Coal Producers
Association renew their negotia-
tions with the UNIV at Bluefield.
w. Va, Tuesday, beginning a
fourth week of talks. The meet
ing recessed Friday after the UNIV
representatives rejected an oper-
ator proposal to extend the present
contract to August Is. Little prog
ress has been made there toward
working out a successor agree
ment.
viii End Vacation July 6.
Federal labor officials believe
the question Of strike or peace
in the coal industry depends on
the outcome of the White Sulphur
parley. Only eight days of the
present contract period will re-
main when that meeting opens.
If there is no agreement in effect
when the miners are due return
from vacation July 6,Fthe men
almost surely will strike, following
their traditional mo contract, no
work" policy. 81
While Mr.. Lewis. so far as can
be learned, has not revealed just
what his new contract demands
are. the operators anticipate that
his major demands will be for an
increase in the UMW's welfare
and retirement fund and for a.
shorter work week with no re-
duction In pay.
Both demands are certain to
meet with firm resistance from
the operators. They already are
kicking into the welfare fund 20|
cents on every ton of coal pro-
duced. But those who are running
Mr.. Lewis fund are spending the
money faster than 1t is coming
in-a rate Of slightly less than
500, 100000 a year.
The miners now work a 40-hour
"portal-to-portal" week of five
eight-hour days. They actually
work 321a hours a week when al
lowance is made for the paid
lunch period and time spent trav-
elling to and from work. The
hourly rate Of pay would be in
creased under the Lewis formula
of shortening the working time
and keeping the daily pay the
same as at present-$l4.05 for
the average miner.