The Pinchot Effort

On the evening of Aug. 31 anthracite mining adjourned sine die. The adjournment was complete. About 155,000 miners left the mines--not technically "striking," but " suspending operations "because a new wage contract had not been executed. In the hurried days immediately before, the function of peacemaker between miners and operators--given up as hopeless by the Coal Commision--descended upon Governor Pinchot of Pennsylvania. He had desired it so. But he did not succeed in preventing the strike.

Pinchot's Proposal. After calling the miners and operators to Harrisburg, reading them a lecture and conferring with them privately for two days, Governor Pinchot proposed a compromise:

1)Recognition of the basic eight-hour day.

2) A uniform increase of 10% in all wage rates.

3)"Full recognition of the union by the operators without the check off, but with the right to have a union representative present when the men are paid."

4) Complete recognition of the principle of collective bargaining.

The Governor added: "The proposed increase of 10% is recommended in view of the high degree of skill required among the miners and the extra-hazardous nature of the occupation. Five hundred workers are killed and 20,000 are injured each year.

"The 10% wage increase, according to the best figures available to me, will add 60-c- a ton to the cost of domestic sizes of anthracite at the mine. Of this amount not less than 10-c- can be and ought to be absorbed by the operators without any increase of price.

. . ."The remaining 50-c- per ton should not in the end be taken from the consumer. The whole of it can easily and properly be taken out of the cost of transportation and distribution."

The Significance. Propositions 1 and 4 of the Governor's compromise plan were theoretical sops to the union and in effect had already been granted. At the first conference of the miners and operators, the operators " agreed in principle" to the eight hour day; the existence for several years of wage contracts between the operators and the United Mine Workers has been in fact recognition of the principle of collective bargaining.

The miners and operators were interested chiefly in two of the miners' demands: 1) the check-off (for collection of union dues, fines and assessments by the operators, for the unions, from the men's pay) ; 2) an increase of $2.00 a day for miners paid on a time basis, and of 20% for miners paid on the contract (or quantity) basis. Governor Pinchot denied the miners' demand for the checkoff, and compromised the pay demand. Contract miners would get half the increase demanded; men working by the day (now making from $4.20 to $5.60) would receive from 42-c- to 56-c---or only about one-quarter of what they asked.

The Operators' Reply. Speaking of Mr. Pinchot's proposed 10% increase in miners' wages, the operators asserted: 1) that the increase would add $30,000,000 a year to the wage bill; 2) that no increase in wages is justified because according to the Coal Commission the miners already enjoy a reasonable standard of living; 3) that present wages are 150% above the pre-War rates, whereas living costs are only 62% above pre-War costs; 4) that if the operators accept the 10% increase in wages an agreement must be made for several years; 5) that the increased wages will increase the cost of coal to the public. In regard to the Governor's proposal that instead of the check-off the unions be allowed to have a representative present when the men were paid off, the operators asserted that this was already an existing practice.

The Miners' Reply. "A step in the right direction," was the miners' comment on the suggestion of a 10% wage increase. But they urged that it not be given a percentage basis because that would give the smallest actual increase in wages to the men who are already making the least money. They asked that men employed by the day be given a definite increase in dollars and cents.

The miners declared that they felt "that in the absence of any reasonable or valid objection to the check-off by the anthracite operators we are entitled to recognition on this point [i. e., the check-off]." They gave as reasons that the check-off was desirable for convenience and economy and to give greater stability to the joint wage agreement. The check-off is in operation in the bituminous coal fields.

The Result. Aside from the apparently conciliatory tone of the two replies to Governor Pinchot, the miners and operators remained almost as far apart as ever. The last day passed in unsuccessful conference. The strike began, but all prospect of success had not perished. An agreement might still be reached on the basis of the Governor's proposals. To that end the meetings adjourned until Sept. 5.