◆ SpookStack

RE: JOHN L. LEWI6, ET AL byIcw 67D : WITH PMA officinls gave us a black and white revort as to % : what they did with the money and I never suspocted them (Contimecy™ | of being crooked. UMW men never picketed Mine B nor did they give out literature prior to the time the mine closed. I don't know of any porsons spying for UMW prior to the time the mine closed. I don't know about any parties boing given by Elshoff or UMW men. After the contract oxpired I heard that hod made a temporary contract with Els- hoff and we were suppceed to gee pack pay but I never got any pay. The PMA was doing olright by us miners then. Just before the mine closed there ms no trouble over the wuges that I kmow of and evorything seemed to be alrifit. No one over bothorod me thon to join over to UMW. I don't know anything a - Tar = natn = nee ™ wee eee = —= awe oe ee eden about the PwA officials and the management fighting over the wage contract. Tg eS Oe z ™ "I did not attend the meeting the night before the strike but I recall that the Trial Committee had voted to oust 5 mon and at that moetins I hoard that the mon voted to throw out these 5nen. “egular Meotings wero on second and fourth Fridays and I don't know if this wos o regular meeting or o special one. Thoro was no telk of wages around tho mine on the day it closed down. No one said thet we would not got a contract betwoon PMA and Mino B. I hoard thot the Conmittee told FALCETTI several times to get rid of those 5 men but they would not kick then out. On the mcrning of the strik. there wos no trouble there that I recall of. In Box 3 and 4 and others I heard that sone cars were being loaded short that dey and later thot day I also sow some cars that were loaded short. I don't know why the cars wore being loaded short thot day. Down below ncbcdy knew there was going tc be a strike. About 14 or 15 minutes befcre quiting timo wo were called out and we Wore told the nine wee to be shut dcwn. eard nd Elshoff wars arguing about those 5 men and that is supposed to be why the strixo wns called. Right ofter Mine B closed I signed o PuA petition. I wos not forced te sign that et all. I don't rocell what they said ebout it anymcre. J signed it on the roud outside the mine there. I never signed any UMi potition that sumer but I heard there wes one around but no one came to me with it. Later on I signed another PMA petition as they wanted to know if I still wos PMA and I wag ond no one forced me to sign it. I believe I signod that at a meeting. I heard that UMW started a locel thot summer and that men were nround but none came to sce me. Nothing’ unusunl happened during summer of 1957 thnt I*know of, During fall of 1937, on o Sunday, I wos in a saloon noar 14th St., and Tony Plotch came in and said the mine wis going to be reopened and tmt I had Better be there. Thot wos the first I know of it. FA did not have any meeting to decide what they would do if the mino wore opened by UM. TI took my dinner bucket and want out to Mine B the next morning to go to work but =f Falcotti told us t he wanted 50 UMW man to go down into the mine. omg “¢ said to Falcetti he could give him 100 PNA but ho didn't wont us. felcetti told us that we would have to be UMW men to do down = 11 or 12 Ui mon go down into the mine and before thoy had been PHA nen. JOE ALBENESE, AndySchrovlovious, Dominic Pasquale, Pete Carter, Frank A believe both Jacaweys, Tony Plotch, and Charles Bohannon and™Jim Hale and sovernl others went down alright. By letting thowe-mesl fo dowmn--that wis the - 596 - we ee ee ee ER SS EE SI ha Oe