◆ SpookStack

JOHN Li LERIS, ET aL bre brIp INTERVIEG TITH "I remenber also during this time there were some bombing cases but I took no interest continued in them other than reading about them in the paper and I know, or knew, very little about them, and not enough to judge whether the trials were fair or not. “During this.time between 1932 and 1937 I considered the PLA union to be an honest union. JI thought the Plis officials were honest and 7T alia way 3A T ¢hawk tha we ani at ad 2hetanh thon Trt I @id not think the PLA was a racket nor did I think there were any unusual assessnents_ "T never attended any Pil; meet..ngs while I was working in Line "BY because I lived in gud ut was too far to go. I did not, therefore, attend a Pia meeting on Ley 11, 193%, the night before the strike. "On May 12, 1937, I went to work in Mine "B" as usual. “hen I went dovm in the mine seme one said ve were to load our cars short that day, and so I did now Jcad mine as full as ether days. I noticed that all the other cars rece loaded short. Shortlyy after that noon, someone told us we were to come out and so I came out. I knew we were going out on strike but I did not know why. I had not heard anything about some PMA men being ¢xpelled fraa the local for working for I. I remember some men, o..2 of whom was Frank Austin, quit the PiA to join UN, but I never heard of any trouble over the . company's refusal to fire some men whe had been expelled from PMA. I knew there was some contract trouble over the wage scale. But several weeks after we went on strike I heard the reaon was because the company wanted us to join UM: and would not sign with PliA. This is the only reason I have ever heard for the strike. "The next time I went back to Itine "3" was about Hay 15, 1937, to get some wages. The only time I ever went back to Mine "Bt was in Sept. of 1937. The company then tried to re-open the mine but only about 5 or 6 men went dorm and PLA set up a picket line. I vas in the picket line a few davs and then went home because J didn’t like _picketing and I didn't want to work where they were having trouble. MLaterc in Sept. of 1937 I went to vork at Bio one at any tinue tried to get me to join UMW while I was at Mine "RB", After the strike started in Nay, 1937, I may have signed a PHA petition, but I cannot remember definitely. I know I never signed a BMi petition. ~261~ ROTA tt eee Sp me ca D es ce ye em cai me ie a a ee ee ro