◆ SpookStack

RE: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET aL L oe I INTERVIE. 17: QD 0 Sarary, 1941 when the talk at the mine (contimed) was to the effect that a miner could not work there unless he was a nember of UZ. This was before the second NLRB election which was held in Fetru- ary, 1941. I joined the Wh a 2inst my will to kecp my job. J have re- moined a member of the UM! since that tine. "T never held an office in am mine union. J never tock an active yart in the formation of the Pili. I attended about half of the union meetins when I was a nember of cither union. The relations between Elshoff and the PHA from the time I started to work there in 1935 until april, 1937 were yood, I do not Imo of anything Elshoff said to indisate that he favored the Ulf’, prior to May, 1937. timow the following men who were workinz at Mine B prior to May 1937 who were WT sympathizers or orgenizers: Jos «slbanesc, Dominic Pasquale, Frank Justin, John Ahanias, John Sirtout, Emory dvacaway, Jamcs Hale, andrew Schrelevious, Pete Cartor, Torr Plotch, Charics Bohannon. I heard that these men mentioned above were contactins the miners as egeitetors for the Uf, prior to the timc Fine B closed on strike, but they did not contact me. "I was not at the Pil. meeting on Har 11, 1937 vaen some of these UM, organizers werc expelled, but I hieward about it the next dar, May 12, 1937 at the time, by word of mouth. The PM. Pit Committec went to Fa leetti and told him these men should not work as they had boun expelled from the Pu... Falectti was resorted to have said that he had no authority to dis- charge them as they had a right to work there under the collective bergain- ing regulatiojs. "To went into the mine on May 12, 1937 and later: some coal cars came up short. I do not know why the cars were shorted. Latcr, the men were informed they should come out of the mine. I was not familiar with the wage scale controversy. However, on Hay 12, 1937 some of the UM organ- izers told me that the rin did not have a contruct with Elshoff which was retroactive. of the Flt, showed us miners a copy of the contruct contiining the retroactive clause that had Elshoff's name on it. "T voluntarily sicned the PIA petition of May 26, 1937 to show I was a PY. membcr. J also sicned anoth r PLA petition in 1937, but I an not sure what it was for. I voted in the NLRB clection. No one forced me to votc, and I never heard it was fraudvlent. No strong arm tactics were used by cither union to my knowledge. I also voted in the NURS elvction on February 21, 1941. This clection was fair as far as I know. “Te could vote anyway we wanted to. However, as I mnemtioned before in this statement, the miners at Itine 3 had airerdy been signed up by UM! the month before as they had been informed they could not hold their jobs at that mine unlese they did. 4hercfore the resuit of the NLRB election was known, before the -146- ome oe epee a epee ee BE gee Wg abies oe