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Oa IE ae ae cade Raat et ene ne ee at a te tee a C | © RE: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL bie b?7A INTLRVIE.! WITH! a "I remember that I went to work as usual (contimied) on. the day of the strixe, I was a digger in bo end our unin non, CS told us not to load the cars full until the com kicked the men ou who wore supposed to be members of united. I loaded cars short just like the rcot were doing and I think it was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon When we vicre told to leave the pit. I came on top and washed up and then cane home. I didn't talk to anybody, and didn't realize the mine was on strike when I came homc, I can't r-emember whether J went back to work the next day or not. "T don't remember ever signing a petition for Progressive in the sprin,, or sumier of 1937. I went out to the mine in Scpt. or 1937 be- cause L heard the wine was going toyopen a,,cin, “hen we heard that the Company was going to Ict the U. i. . men work with us we decided we wouldn't wor. and thet all of us vould sit dowm at the mine. I stayed on the p cket linc for about 7 wecks. Our union officers toid us we had to stay on picket duty if we wantcd to hold our job. I cime hone during the time I was on picket duty; to look over my house ‘ clean up. ‘the men didn't want mc to conc hence, but I cane home ahiMay. Nobody ever thrcatened me or hit me for leaving the picket linc, I wasn't on picket duty when the picket line was stoped by the injunction in Dec. of 1937. “T voted in the NLRB election of Dec, 1937 and as far as I was concerned overything went along: finc. ‘Shere wasn t any fighting and the ‘men voted the way they wented to. "In November of 1939 I got a letter from the Company telling me to come back to work. I went to the mine on Scturda and was told to come back to work on Honday. I went beck to work the next Honday and started in at my old section, "T kept up my dues in P BA for some time after I started back at the minc. I kept tclling %channon and others who wanted me to join United , that I wouldn't join until the mejorit; joined. Nobody sver thro.tened me to gdin any union, I joined the United becausc there wasn't any differcnee in either union as far as I could sce, They both make you pay dues and I'll po whichever way the rest go. Nobody has over bothered mc at the mine and as far as I'm concerned I can't sey mich as to what th. union has donc, I am stili employed at Mine B, « 197 - Fm ET egg TTT Ce RA ete gee Te r