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C O RE: JOHN L. LEVIS, “T AL by ce b10 do not remember being at the meetin: when the men were kicked out. INTERVIE,. ITH (continued) "J wont to work, as a digger = on the da. of the strike the same as usual. J remenbcr that when I got to the mine there was a dispute as to el the men who were supposed to be spies would work that day. I sa and a crowd of our men complainin; to the company that those men shouid now be allowed to work with us. Most of the men were in the Com pany office. We all went to work aiter a short time and took up our regu- lar jobs. I saw cars goin: by me that were loaded only partially, but I loaded all my cars the seme as usual. I think wo were in the mine that whole da: and left at the usual time. "The next da: I reported to the mine and was told there was a strike. That was the first 1 knev of a strike goin. on. I vas told that our union was going to strike until the comnany fired thos: wen, J tien went home and stayed there. Since I lived in I do not hev: such contact with the union mn in Springfield. I reca ~ about 2 weeks after the strike some F !' A men broug:t a petition to my house and I signed it. I was not asked to sien anythin for United. In Sept. of 1937 they tricd to start the mine and I went’ out to the mince after the oickct line had been started. Iovont on picket duty for 56 da_s and durin> that time I was allowed to come home almost any time Iwanted to. I was there at the time the injunction was served *. it didn't make much difference: to me excent J vant.d to zo hack to work, "I didn't go to the ine from the time of the injunction until the time tic mine opened in Nov. of 1939. I voted in the i? 1 2 B election in Dee. of 1937 and to my knowled-c everythin, went alon,. fine. There vas not any fi,htin: and the men covld vote for Whoever they canted to. "I rscecived a notice in the mail to so to work in 193) & I went to the wint to report. I wus told that they were s-ort of rooms and the air was bad and that I should r.vort back in a fev days. [Lt room could not be worked in because the partin, had caved iu-so I startcd work in | she I vent back to work I kept up my dues in rro ressive for about 4 months. I covid see that United had a lot of new men and we all umerstood that the mine would onl, operate with the U vy union. 1 decided to join united so I could keep on workin,. I was never threatened by any of the united men and didn't see any fichts. The management seemed to favor united men and the compan, hired a lot of str.ngurs. I alvays undarstood that in order to wot a job a man had to bc am mbur of U, 7. Most of the or: anmizers for| united always seciued to got the best reoms to work in. "In my opinion the strike was caused becaus. of the fact the pia ne: did not want to work with the organizers for unit-d. ~92= Be ae BR We et STIR Rr ie RT ete et capers nr ar es mem ower