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Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET .L. oe ae ot 777) INTERVIEW WITH and a few others were saying that they weren % going | “Bale” - to work for less wages, I think that these men were right. These. nen were Progressives but they said that they weren't going to ‘scab! on | the ¢ other nines. the_ cane out and said that they were going to join UMua. GZ never attended any meetings at which any of the above named men were suspended or cxpelled, I doen't reeall any meeting the night before the strike. * "T chdntt know a thing about the strike intil we were called out RD the afternoon of May 12, 1937, because we couldn't -make an agreement with Mr. Elshoff.~ I didn't load any coal short on the day of the strike, but understand that some cf the miners did load coal short that day. ; : *T recall that about @ Qo including the men named above called the Progressives ‘scabs! anc ae strike a short timo before the big strike on Tuy 12, 1937. after these men struck some of them were ox- pellied by the PMa. I think that these men went on strike on april 27, 1937 after the first pay cey where we didhi't get a raise. "I recall signing one petition for the Progressives before we ~ent back to work, ; "The mer mentioned above formed a Lew Min local and Pete Carter, who was a good friend of mine, tried to get me to go to their mectiigs. "During the 'Set Down Strike! at Mine '31 I spent about a morth picketing, ‘\shile I was there I never saw any attempts to open the mine by UMMVA. ".fter the Government stopped the picketing I voted at the NLRB élection, which was conducted very fairly. The Progressives won the elec- tion 404-25, ,fter the election I don't know of any attempts by UM men to reopen the mL Ne. chen I went back to Mire Ba couple of months after it opened I was still paying dues to the Progressives, I remined “rogressive for 4 couple of months before 1 switched over to UMé.. I changed over be- cause I thought the Progressives were losing and I wanted to protect my job, No one ever threatcied or beat me to get me to join UMIA. I went down to a Vifix meeting and signed up there. If I quit. Mine B the PM, told me that they couldn't do anything for m Sh ge I had te jcin Ulin to keep my job. ° : - 340 =