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John L Lewis — Part 17
Page 62
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Ros JOPN 1. LEWIS, ET AL. Lb) cL
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INTERVIEa “ITH "I rerncmber sigming a petition, I don't know just when,
asking for a referendum to sez which union had the
majcrity. This was a P.M.A. petition, and ifm reason-
ably sure I signed one, but I can't be positive of it.
1 co remenoe: thet no one asked me to join the U.Ma. in 1937.
"T don't remember getting any notice that the mine was going to
open up in the fall of 1957. I picketed the mine at this time, to keep the
U.llva. men out of the mine. I don't remember how I got notice of the picket
line. It might have been at a P.M.A. meeting, but I'm nct sure. I was not
made to go out to the picket line. The P.M.A. men went out to the mine to
work. I don't remember seeing any U.M.w. men trying to go down into the
mine et this time. The ‘rjunction was resi to us by a federal man, and was
for the purposs of getting the P.M.A. man evay from the mine. After the
injunction was read, we ell left. we were villing to leave the matter up
to the P.M.4A. cfficials, and were willing t» abide by their decisions. The
decisions were all arrived at efter a discussion, and anyone could get up
end speak his mind.
"I remember the election in the winter of 1937, at the arsenal.
I don't remember how I heard about it but think I sew it in the paper. I
went to the election cf my own accord, snd voted the way I wanted to. I got
no instructions from the P.M.A. officers as to hew to vote. I voted for
P.N.a. Cecause I was satisfied with that unicn, and prcferred it to the
UM.
"I don't remember anyone ccming to me while I was out on strike,
either tc join the U.M.%. or to keep in the P.M.4. I went to some P.M.A.
mectings, but don't know how many, cr whet was discussed. In the fall of
1959, I get a letter from the kine B management saying thet the mine wes
going to open. They said they would izt me kmow when a place was ready for
me. i don t remember just exactly when I went back to work.
"Zfter I went back to work in the mine, | asked nq
to goin the U.h.i. Dy signing a referendum petition. I told him I didn't
want to until I sew how the men felt. He then asked me to come to a UML.
meeting to sec how meny Mine B men were there. I went and sew about half
the men from Nine B there. around this time I heard several men saying
thet if the U. hea. didn't get a contract with Mine B, the mine wouldn't stay
open. _1 don't remember any certain men saying this, end don't know if it
was @ U.N... man or not. I joined U.M.w. at that timo, because I thought
that if I didn't join U.M.w., and the U.M.i. didn't gct the contract, the
mine wouldn't stay open. Wo one forced me to join, and I wasn't threatened.
"In February of 1941, at the election I voted fer the U.M.W. be-
cnusc I figured that under the U.M.%. the men would be able to keep on
working. After the mine opened up, I saw we alking around the
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