coal trade bulletin - Clpdigital.org

THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN. 21
MINE WORKERS CONVENTION DELEGATES DEMAND AN ADVANCE
OF FIVE CENTS PER TON FOR MINING AND TEN
PER CENT. ADVANCE IN DAY WAGES
The following is the wage scale adopted by the
United Mine Workers of America at the convention
in Indianapolis, lnd., Feb. 3:
"Your scale committee, after giving most serious
consideration to all matters referred to us,
after a complete discussion of all phases of the
situation confronting our movement, beg leave to
submit the following report to be adopted by this
convention and submitted to the operators to be
made a part ot our next scale:
"1. That all coal be weighed before being
screened and paid for on a mine-run basis.
"2. That we demand a flat 5 cents a ton increase
at the basing point.
"3. A 10 per cent, increase on all dead work,
yardage and day labor.
"4. A uniform workday and wage scale for all
classes of outside and inside day labor.
"5. A proper adjustment of all machine differential
at the basing point.
"6. That we demand a complete check-off for
the miners' organization through the company's
office.
"7. That we demand all the local inequalities
and internal differences be referred to the various
districts affected for settlement.
"8. We demand that where the price or regulation
of powder is made a contract provision that
union-made powder shall be furnished.
"9. That the miners work only one-half day on
Saturday.
"10. That the company shall pay drivers for
time from taking charge of stock until they, the
company, receive same.
"11. We demand that our contract shall be in
effect for two years."
When THE COAL TRADE BULLETIN'S report of the
convention of the United Mine Workers closed
Jan. 31, but a portion of the proceedings of Jan.
30 had been covered. Following the action taken
relative to the militia the delegates took up the
resolution providing a recall election for international
officials. The committee on constitution
disapproved the resolution but the delegates
would not accept the report, and after amending
it to require only a 5 per cent, total necessary to
initiate such a recall and 30 per cent, neccessary
to call for such an election the resolution was
adopted.
Amendments to article XII of the constitution
were then taken up and five resolutions were reported
as having been presented. The commit­
tee offered an entire new article, as a substitute
for the old one and the resolutions. The principal
change was the one relative to the number of
delegates, their manner of election and who they
shall be. These new sections were:
Sec. 2. Each district shall elect its own delegates
to the International convention and shall
have one delegate for each one thousand members
or majority fraction thereof, and no delegate shall
have more than one vote in the convention. The
method of electing and paying the delegates shall
be left to the resective districts. Districts having
less than one thousand members shall be entitled
to one delegate.
Sec. 3. District presidents, vice presidents and
secretaries, members of the International Executive
Board and International organizers shall not
be eligible as candidates for election as del agates
to the convention but shall be delegates at large
and shall have all rights and privileges of the convention
excepting that they shall not have the
right to vote on any question coming before the
convention.
Some debate followed and then the records show
this action:
Delegate Johnson (M.), District 12—I wish to
offer a motion that the
COMMITTEE'S REPORT
be referred back to the merube- ship for a referendum
vote. (Seconded).
Secretary Green—Do you mean this section that
is under consideration now?
Delegate Johnson—I mean this section under
consideration now changing the basis of representation.
I believe because there is so much
dissension here among the delegates that it would
be best for the rank and file to pass upon that
part of the recommendation of the committee
changing the representation in this International
convention. I believe the rank and file should be
given a chance to voice their sentiments in regard
to whether they are in favor of the action or not.
Delegate Houston, District 11, and Delegate
Smith, District 13, favored the motion to refer.
Delegate Hines. District 5, stated that he would
like to see the International organizers included in
the list stated in the substitute of those who were
not eligible as delegates to the International convention.
That amendment was accepted by the
committee. The question was further discussed
by Delegate Bittner, secretary of the committee.
and Delegate Seaman, District 12.