◆ SpookStack

Fe a a a re ene a a lille ll Mi Reason al C ae RE: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET aL. boc 27D mentioned above I heard did @ lot of talking around Cee code ib to other Pilla men in the mine to Join back to TAA? but ~ Cgontinued) they never talked to me beosuse they all knew that I was 8 atrong PUA man. It is my feocllection that sane time before the mine closed CHARLES BOHARNON and sane ome else was expelled fram PMA and then later on same more were expelled. I attended all those meatings along then and I recall that the Trial Committee made their reports to us miners at the meeting and afer they reported they had @ vote amongst the menbers and we voted to expell them, because i} they were trying to us to join over to UMil. This was not done at one ; / meeting but happened over a period of time und the Trial Committee had / done a lot of ohecking on these men and we miners hed thet right to | vete on those matters but now wonder IMi we don't have that right « ore. I reooll when the oontract expired in spring of 1937 thet and other PMA officials of PMx told us ut our meetings tha we were working without @ oontruct pending u new one and that if there was 4 roise it was to be retroutice and I hed 114 tons then end never got a dime for it yete Our PMA officials told us at these mectings just what wos going on in regard to this woge question and they did not hold out any information from us at all but kept us fully informed of all details as at that time I wos very active and attended every meet= inge In regard to parties I did heur that ELSHOFF und UMT men did hold parties but I don't know where ond I elao heard thet efter IMT won the seoond NEIRB election that o big party wog held at the offices of Mino B, ‘Ye PMA miners alwoys felt tht PUA would sign & oontract with ELSHOFF and we all felt that PMA dould get for us just &© good a contract as Ul’ could ever get for use ‘ie miners were 511 sotisfied with the woge Question and there wes no trouble there ut Mine B om pey days nor were there Ohy etrike or slow downs beotuse of this wege troublea Just before the mine closed in 1937 these 15 men mentioned obcve were very &etive in going around to hanes of minefta at Auburn and other places and they tried to get them to join over to UM! but they never contacted me 46 they mew I wos too strong for PMA and I elso heard thet thesg 33 men were scen a lot around the UMT building ond I reoull that I used to see somo of those 13 men wolk long the street in the direction of the UMW Building but I never cotuelly saw them enter ite At thet time I hud fe use for these 13 men end wo did not speak to one snotheri I don't recill of the munugement of Mine R telling us anything about the wage soile and it wes gossip thea thet ELSHOFF would not sign up with the Illinois Operators because he wanted to bretk swuy from PMA and join over with UM7 and ut that time the Illinois Producers association wos signed wp with PMA« "The night before the mine closed duwn there wos held a special and not a regular meeting ot the PHA Hall at 6th & Weshington