◆ SpookStack

CGC” —— O a Re: JOHBN L, LEXIS, ET AL it INTERVIEW VITH foel that the only way we could go back to work was as U.M.W, Also the men wore getting tired of the dues that continuc thoy were having to pay F.M.A. I havo paid as high as 12 or 14 dollars a month for dues & assesemonts to P.F.A. I don't know why the ducs in P,M.A. are so high. No one epproached mo about goinz to the mecting to change over to P.M.A. I wus of the first to start trying to got a meeting organized to discuss among all the miners working at mino A as to what we would do. “whan anyone got up in a P.M.A. mecting to discuss this matter the P.M.A, officials were standing around ready to pounce on us and wouldn't let us talk, At one of the P,M,A. mectings a committee was appionted of 6 or 8 men, by the union mombora, They were to go to sec Elshoff as to what was to be dome. The PMA. officials wouldn't gct information as to wnat was going to happen and wouldn't accept the comnittco appointed, fomc of those on the committee o@ Lc C € 4n appointmen Ql one Fishoff but we couldn't get hin. As wo wont out sone one pushed nd hit me in ths back of the head with their fist, here was o group around the door of and somo others they held aa. when the rest of us wont out and boat him up on the floor. :¢ did not geet in touch with Elshoff bu ontacted with Falsotti and we all went out to sce him. He told us when the Company buys anything it has a contract with U.M.”. alrcady and he guessed whatever was bought would have to be that way too. Ho said they really did not kmow if they were going to open Hino A or not that they might get the coal out of Mine A through Mine "B", He dicn'€ say so but it wos fclt that this would knock us out of a job. we thon told Falsctti that we wanted to go over to U.N.W. anywoy because of the dues tho P.M.A. was charging us. We did nae hin we would like for them to kcop Vine A going and not abondon it, nd I went around with a chock paper to sce if the men wantod to go back to U.N... oor wanted to stay P.M.A. We got over a hundred names and only one man turned us down. “e told them we were going to have o pioce in tho paper anouncing a meeting wo had 9 mecting at Redman's hall and about 95 to 100 mon were there. This meeting was about a weck before the meeting at the Elks Club. “ve told the mon at this mecting what Falsetti had said and asked thom if it would be OK to go sec the U.M.W7. officials. ‘“e told them we would put in tho papers when and where ansther moeting was to be held. All so men wanted to go ovor to U.M.W. ‘e went up to U.M.4. and saw rt Jo told him how the men felt and evon suggested that Edmunds o the men ot a meeting & oxplain the U.",... proposition, Tho following Sunday aftcrnoon we held a meoting at the Elks, Thies meeting wos announced in the paper & about 240 mon woro there. was the man in chargo of tho meeting. He had not previously beon contactod by us. ie at the last P.H.A. mocting montioned, he wos not at the meoting at eaman's Hall though. Et <=> officers under P.M.A.. who attended this necting anc carricd over as U.UW, officials, - 303 -