Evening star., 1950-01-15
Coal
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SOuIlnueQ FTOlu FnSt tdge.)
union officials who scheduled
meeting in Grant Town, w. Va.
The sentiment at an earlier meet
ing of the group was against end
ing the strike.
Mr.. Lewis requested the striking
miners to return to the three-day
week they have observed on his
order since December /. But most
of the miners who voted to con-
tinue the strike said they had de-
cided on policy of five days or
nothing"
Impatient Over Delay.
Most of the miners were de-
scribed as angry and impatient
over the six-month delay in OBJ
tanning a new contract to replace
the industry-wide agreement
which expired last June 80.
Whether their rebellion was
against Mr.. Lewis or the oper-
ators was unclear. But the end
result of continuing the strike
would be to put more pressure on
the operators to do business with
MIR. Lewis. BY way of new con-
tract Improvements, he is de-
demanding a wage boost of 95
cents day and an increase of
IS cents in the miners 20-cent-
per-ton welfare and retirement
fund.
Mr.. Lewis was not available for
comment on the rebellion" He
was in Springfield, ILL.,, where yes
terday he attended the funeral of
his 91-year- -old mother, Mrs. Anna
Louisa Lewis. Most other UNIV
officials, both high and low, were
there, too. .--..
During a large part of last year,
the miners were either on strike
or working the three-day week
prescribed by Mr.. Lewis as a means
of pressuring the operators to sign
a contract.
"It's five days or nothing" one
miner remarked after his Pennsyl-
vania local had decided to stay
on strike. We're tired of going
in. then going out, then going
in"
Another miner remarked, I'VE
just want to get the contract
business settled once and for ALL"
Strictly Up To Locals.
Before leaving for Springfield
John Busarello, president of UNIV
District No. 5 in Pittsburgh, de-
clared:
"It is strictly up to the locals
whether they follow Lewis sug-
gestion."
Mr.. Busarello, who is the field
leader of some 10000 miners
planned to return home imme-
diately to follow action being tax
en- by locals in their weekend vot-
ing.
Most of the miners who have
voted not to return to work are
employed in captive mines oper-
ated by steel companies.
Illegal Contract Seen.
So far. President Truman has
brushed aside all appeals, some
from leading Democrats in Con-
gress, that he invoke the emer-
gency injunction provisions of the
Taft-Hartley Act against the
three day week. Despite evidence
OF extreme shortage of fuel in
some sections because of the lin
tied production, the President has
held to his position, the situation
has not reached the national
emergency" stage.
Senator Byrd, Democrat, of
Virginia, speaking in Roanoke
last night, said President Truman
has undermined the constitu-
tional processes of government
by MS failure to invoke the Taft
Hartley Act.
Stating that apparently the
Presidents memory failed him,
Senator Byrd contradicted q
statement made at a White House
press conference several months
ago to the effect the President
could not recollect ever having
used the act. Senator Byrd de-
clared Mr.. Truman had invoked
the act seven times between
March and August of 1948. twice
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