Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 August 1920 — WAGE PARLEY FAILS [ARTICLE]

WAGE PARLEY FAILS

Cleveland Conference Breaks Up; No Coal Agreement. Operators and Miners Send Telegrams to Wilson—Many Illinois and Indian Mines Closed. Cleveland, 0., Aug. 20. —Miners attending a conference of the joint scale committee of the central competitive field—Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Western Pennsylvania—held a policy meeting following fnllurfe of the Joint con% ference to agree on the miners’ demands for increased wages and adjourned sine die after voting unanimously that miners In each of the four states will seek to make a supplemental and separate agreement with operators In the field. This practically disrupts the central field as a basing point Inasmuch as the Joint conference was called by President Wilson for the purpose of adjusting Inequalities In the present wage scale agreement, operators and miners sent separate telegrams to the president advising him of the failure of the conference to reach an agreement. The miners’ telegram was optimistic In tone, saying the miners would endeavor to make separate -and individual agreements with the operators In the various states. Chicago, Aug. 20.—Almost one-third of the coal mines of Illinois • are closed, and the state faces another strike because operators and miners failed to agree on an Increase for the men after a five-day session at Cleveland. Reports from Indianapolis say many of the Indiana mines are also closed. Frank Farrington, president of the Illinois miners, has wired the men to stay on the Job, because “a strike now will result in government action.”