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RE: JOHN L. LEIS, ET AL. ba C b7 Pp INTERVIEW WITH agreement of record adopted March 29, 1931, which provided a retm-active wage scale if the United Mine (continued Workers were granted one in Illinois. "On April 5, 1937, the Pit Committee of Local No. 54 came to my office inquiring about the retro-active clause in the combat « ‘This Seu WAS EER aa ” 7 ‘ ° record made in joint wale on March 29. . ing according I received & call early in the morning from 7 “oa who informed me that trouble had arisen at Mine 8, the company taking the stand that was contrary to the ten- tative contract which hed been sipnod by Carl Elshoff. “hen I went to the mine, it was reported to me that Falcetti had started an agitation that the company would not 1i7¥ o the retro-active agreement. I found thet the foliowing men had been active in agitating this question: Tony Plotch, Charles “Bowling Green" Bohannon; Dominic Pasquale; Joe Albanese, elso known as Sam Catealone; Frank Austin; George and Emery Jackaway; James Bole; Andrew Skelevieus; John “Cotton” Ananias, Jr; John Sirtout; and vVilliam "Pete" Carter. These men had been agitating among the men, stating that the superintendent of the mine, Oscar Falcetti, had stated thet there was no retro-active feature in the agreement which hed been signed by Elshoff. "On April 6, 1937 "The mine did not work on April 6, 1937, because at the time I hed arrived there and settled this trouble, the managemont stated that it was too late for the men to go down into the mine. The Coal Company claimed it was now almost 8:00 O'clock, cleiming it wa- too late for the men to go down. I insisted that the men were ready to go to work as the starting time was 8:00 o'clock, but they refused to put the men to work. "That morning, I talked personally to Tony Plotch, and he told me that the superintendent Falcetti had told him the company did not have any contract or agreement with the Progressives which provided for retro= active pay, and he was not in favor of working under such conditions, I told Plotch this was not true and that the Progressives did have a contract which provided for retr:~-active pay. oR Ay al a meeting of the men at Mine B was called by 7 t my request. At that time, I explained @ new agreement was ratified, it would be retro-active to April 1, 1937, as far as any pay increase w.: concerned and instructed the men to go on down to work and that the company would have to live up to its con- tract. The mén went on down to work. Later in the day I received a call from the Pit Committee who stated that they had been called out of the mine by what they thought at first to be the company, but upon answering the = 408 «