Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Story
September 12, 1931
The Daily Worker
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
What is this article about?
In Avella, Pa., union secretary Walter Smorag describes ongoing miners' strike amid exploitative pay ($1.73/day for 8-10 hours), deductions erasing earnings, and broken agreements, prompting workers to prefer starving above ground over toiling in mines.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
A Superintendent Admits That Miners Get $1.73 a Day
By HARVEY O'CONNOR (Federated Press.)
AVELLA, Pa.-"No, the strike ain't over. Guess it'll never be over."
That's what Walter Smorag, secretary of the National Miners' Union local at Avella, told the Federated Press. Then he explained "It's this way. The boys stay out as long as they can. Then eviction is threatened. Or they say, 'Let's give it another chance.' Then they go down into the mine and work a week or two. But when they get their pay, they get nothing. The company has taken out for this and that and everything.
"No cash. 'Oh, hell, what's the use,' the boys say. 'If we're going to starve let's starve above ground. We don't have to go into the mine to do that.'
"That's the way it is. A bunch over at the Leach Farm asked the super for work. 'All right,' he said, 'go to it. You know where the mine is.' So these men worked two weeks and then they asked for their pay.
"'Pay,' echoed the super. 'Why, you guys said you wanted to work. Well, you got a chance to, didn't you?' And they didn't get paid, either.
"But take it now in mines that do pay. Over here at the P. & W. they have an agreement with the United Mine Workers of America. That calls for 45 cents a ton. Actually they get 27 to 33 cents a ton. Some of the boys protested to the super.
'The hell you say,' answered the super. 'We ain't got no agreement with you guys. Our agreement is with the U.M.W.A.'
"Or take the Duquesne mine in this town. The super himself says that the men are averaging $1.73 a day."
"For eight hours?" the F. P. correspondent asked.
"Eight to ten hours. If a guy quits after eight hours, the boss says, 'What, you through already? Your place cleaned up O.K.?' Then he goes down to take a look. Chances are that miner will be laid off and the fellow who puts in ten hours will keep his job."
"Hell, I worked 17 hours at a stretch last February at the Waverly Mine," breaks in another miner. "If there's an 8-hour law for miners in Pennsy, we ain't never heard of it."
"Well, that the way it is," summed up Smorag. "Can you see now why the strike's still on and will be on more or less permanently? Why should we risk our lives and breathe the bad air of them mines for 20 to 30 cents a ton or $1.73 a day? And remember you can only get in two or three days a week at the most. Figure trying to live on $5 or $6 a week and work. We can't."
"But we ain't going to starve, below ground or above," chipped in another miner. "There's no sense to starving in the midst of plenty. The big boys have got theirs. We're going to get ours."
By HARVEY O'CONNOR (Federated Press.)
AVELLA, Pa.-"No, the strike ain't over. Guess it'll never be over."
That's what Walter Smorag, secretary of the National Miners' Union local at Avella, told the Federated Press. Then he explained "It's this way. The boys stay out as long as they can. Then eviction is threatened. Or they say, 'Let's give it another chance.' Then they go down into the mine and work a week or two. But when they get their pay, they get nothing. The company has taken out for this and that and everything.
"No cash. 'Oh, hell, what's the use,' the boys say. 'If we're going to starve let's starve above ground. We don't have to go into the mine to do that.'
"That's the way it is. A bunch over at the Leach Farm asked the super for work. 'All right,' he said, 'go to it. You know where the mine is.' So these men worked two weeks and then they asked for their pay.
"'Pay,' echoed the super. 'Why, you guys said you wanted to work. Well, you got a chance to, didn't you?' And they didn't get paid, either.
"But take it now in mines that do pay. Over here at the P. & W. they have an agreement with the United Mine Workers of America. That calls for 45 cents a ton. Actually they get 27 to 33 cents a ton. Some of the boys protested to the super.
'The hell you say,' answered the super. 'We ain't got no agreement with you guys. Our agreement is with the U.M.W.A.'
"Or take the Duquesne mine in this town. The super himself says that the men are averaging $1.73 a day."
"For eight hours?" the F. P. correspondent asked.
"Eight to ten hours. If a guy quits after eight hours, the boss says, 'What, you through already? Your place cleaned up O.K.?' Then he goes down to take a look. Chances are that miner will be laid off and the fellow who puts in ten hours will keep his job."
"Hell, I worked 17 hours at a stretch last February at the Waverly Mine," breaks in another miner. "If there's an 8-hour law for miners in Pennsy, we ain't never heard of it."
"Well, that the way it is," summed up Smorag. "Can you see now why the strike's still on and will be on more or less permanently? Why should we risk our lives and breathe the bad air of them mines for 20 to 30 cents a ton or $1.73 a day? And remember you can only get in two or three days a week at the most. Figure trying to live on $5 or $6 a week and work. We can't."
"But we ain't going to starve, below ground or above," chipped in another miner. "There's no sense to starving in the midst of plenty. The big boys have got theirs. We're going to get ours."
What sub-type of article is it?
Historical Event
Tragedy
What themes does it cover?
Misfortune
Survival
Justice
What keywords are associated?
Miners Strike
Low Wages
Working Conditions
Union Dispute
Exploitation
What entities or persons were involved?
Walter Smorag
Harvey O'connor
Where did it happen?
Avella, Pa.
Story Details
Key Persons
Walter Smorag
Harvey O'connor
Location
Avella, Pa.
Story Details
Miners in Avella, Pa., endure a perpetual strike due to exploitative conditions: low pay averaging $1.73 for 8-10 hours, deductions leaving no cash, and ignored agreements, leading to starvation above or below ground; they resolve to fight for their share.