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6 eer oa Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL. 59° pb RVIEW WIT = “I attended the meeting of the PMA on d). the night of May 11, 1977. This was held ontin 4 on LAN ve oT ay deg STI Oo sob Bs a be we au of this special meeting because I saw it posted on a bulletin board at the mine. I voted to expell the five men who were expelled from the PMA, be~ [| cause it was shown that they were UM/ spies and disloyal to the PMA. I | at the Puy hall on North 6th Street, Springfield, Tliinois, and I learned / believe I remember that one of the five even voted to have himself ex- pelled from PMi. PMA had a closed shop agreement with Elshoff at this time, and Elshoff should have discharged these men after they were ex~ i pelled from the wnion. As a matter of fact, I think he should have fired: ° them before that for their activities in the mine, Four of the men who / \ were expelled did not attend this mecting, as near as I can recall, and did not say anything in their ow defense, “The rank and file were advised of the expulsion of the five men the day after it happened, by word of mouth, The rank and file thought these men should have been expelled, Later, when Elshoff would not fire these men the miners were mad and loaded the coal cars short and later in the day, Way 12, 1943, very little coal was coming up from the mine, and the mine went on strixe, This was not due to wages, It was because Elshoff Would not fire these five men, who no longer belonged to PUA. vy siened the PMA petition on May show that : Was a@ member of PM. The petition was to show tat PMA or a majority and should heve the bargaining rights in the mine. I signed this petition near the mine where there were about 100 automobiles parked, to sec that UM/ did not take over the mine. x ev a - fj cr w 4 | ad ri "From May 1937 to November, 1939 I assisted in picketing this mine from time to time. na T ete aanand PMA etitic eer Ima OT i ii FAA Peel eaUll Wil ®In the sumer of 1 signed another rf forget what it was for. (phonetic), bron ught t this one to my house and I voluntarily ed it. "I did not attempt to go back to Mine B wntil November 1939 at which time it had been working about a month. "IJ was not in favor of the Federal injunction of December 9, 1937 which prevented the PMa from picketing and the miners did not like it, but I thought and believed the miners thought the NLRB election held on December 15, 1937 was fair. I don't see how it could have been otherwise. 0 eam Wovomher 10320 5 er ew ee ed od to } A t ye were at odds, and they both had their own check weighman, PMA had a