Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 August 1907 — PITTSBURG DISTRICT TROUBLES [ARTICLE]

PITTSBURG DISTRICT TROUBLES

Probability of a Strike of 14,000 Coal Miners. Pittsburg, Aug. ,I.—The possibility of a strike, participated in by all the miners in the Pittsburg* district, making over 14,000 men, became apparent here when a statement was Issued by Francis Feehan, president of district No. 5, United Mine Workers of America, in which he says that “The district executive board of the United Mine Workers of Pittsburg has instructed me today to stop all miners working who are employed by the Pittsburg Coal company in event of the company not immediately fully complying with all the provisions of the wage scale agreement” President Feehan said the strike had been ordered because the Pittsburg Coal company had persistently violated the agreement with the miners and the union, and that the officials of the miners’ Union had become tired of the promises and delays to rectify the wrongs. Should'the order to strike be given fifty mines will be closed immediately. The trouble over the alleged violations of the wage agreement has been in progress for many months. Officials of the Pittsburg Coal company said that the grievances of the miners had never been made specific to the company. They had tried to get them to show wherein any failure had been made to live up to agreements, but In every case they had failed. Organizers had been asked to go with the executive officials to the mines where the violations were complained of and show them any' violation of agreements, but they had failed to make a showing.