Jack Battuello Memoir #1 - University of Illinois Springfield

Jack BatrueZlo 11
was also tried, Dave Reed, and he, also, was removed from office.
Be had become too militant for them. And so, the big struggle finally
evolved into a witch hunt as I said, and they lost sight of the
larger struggle and the Progressive Miners finally ended in failure,
total failure.
Q. You mentioned the pamphlet which you wrote at the conclusion of
your trial, by the trial board of the Progressive Miners. Would you
care to tell us what was the pamphlet titled, is it available today,
is it out of print or is thcre any way that a copy can be obtained?
A. 1'11 give you a copy, 1 have a copy.
Q. Would you say that because the Progressive Mine Workers failed,
that, for that rrason, the United Mine Workers fell to its--until
recently--disreputable condi~ion which was culminated in the Yablonski
murder, Tony Boyle's questionable reelection and the eventual defeat
by Miller in a court ordered election?
A. Of course the members of the United Mine Workers were, in great
numbers, dissatisfied with the internal policies of the United Mine
Workers, even in that period when we were struggling against the
United Mine Workers. But hy the process of destroying the autonomy
of thc United Mine Workers and appointing all of his henchmen to these
various offices--local state and cxecutive Board--John Lewis, with
his exchequer and millions in the treasury, had such control over
that portion of his membership that Lhey were unable--at least without
grave danger to their persons--to rebel against him. In other words,
he had them hagtied because he controlled every semblance of that
organization from its ground Eloor up to its top level. And th~ough
the force of intimidation and reprisal and threats--threat of losing
a job for instance, the threat of being moved out of the c~mnity
because of their opposition to John Lewis--was so great that so~ehow
or other they just did not find the courage to follow our suit, and
become members of the Progressive Miners. Of course, the longer they
delayed and the longer that John Lewis prevented their coming over
to the Progressive Miners or joining any movement that was progressive,
the more power John Lewis had, the more control. And in the meantime
the Progressive Miners were deteriorating because of the lack of
leadership, becausc they had become conservative, because they were
witch hunting. And this became known so the outlying fields and once
they saw this development of course, then, they had no desire to come
over. Why leave a sinking ship for a worse one?
Q. At the rime when you first joined the Mine Workers, what was the
working day--how many hours did you work underground at that rime?
A. The eight hour day had been established, when I started in the
mines it was an eight hour day. Of course there were times, all of
them worked in the mincs, within the mincs and with the primitive
tools of the pick and shovel, and it was piece work except the haulage,
except the timbermen and track layers. They were paid by the day.
Jack Battuello Memoir -- Archives, University of Illinois at Springfield