◆ SpookStack

these was the reason for the strike. then I came out ESTERVIE.. ii TTy of the Mine 'B' on May 12, 1937, I changed clothes and went home. On May 12, 1937, I loaded my cars short. No ——— one told me to load short, but I saw the other men loading short and so I did also. "I went back to Mine 'Bt on May 13, 1937, but none of the men were working and I went back home, After May 13, 1937 I only went back to Mine 'B! after a picket line had been formed there by P.M.A. I heard about it being formed, and I went out there the day after they started, in about Sept. 1937. I was in the picket line for 51 days. This reason we had this picket line was to protect our jobs so the company would not try to put U.K.W. men in Mine 'B!. The day this picket line was formed about six U.L.W. men tried to go down, and that was the reason the picket line was formed. I voluntarily went in the picket line and was free to come and go as I wanted to. No one in any way forced me to be in this picket line. "About 55 days after this picket linc was formed, the U.S. Marshal came out and served notice of a Federal injunction and told us we would have Ener. t+ aL Towne wat suesrien AaAoha Fal t +h 14. thant aA vy Bee Vube id Was not wud ps ised oecause Wwe felt some thing AL KC vild wu WouLa come, but I was disappointed when it came late at night and I had to get out of bed. After that, and until Nov. 7, 1939, I never went back to Mine 'B' and I was never notified to come to work there, "J do not remember signing any petition during the summer of 1937. I may have signed a P.E./L. petition, because if I had been asked to I would have. I am certain I did not sign a U.E.W. petition, because if I had been asked to I would have rcfused. I remember hearing that a U.M.W. local had been formed in Springficld during the summer of 1937, but I was not asked to join it. "I remember voting in a National Labor hclations Board election in about Dec. of 1937 when P.M.A. beat U.M.W. I was not forced or threatened in any way to vote in this election and I thought it was an honest election. ~ "In about November of 1939 I received a lettcr from the company telling that Mine 'B' was going to re-open and I was to come back within ten days to get my job back. <At the end of the ten days I went to work at Mine ‘Bt as a member of P.M./.. and got my same room back. They had been fixing up . the mine for about ten days, and I did not notice there had been any cave-ins by fires. "Between Nov. of 1939 and Feb. of 1941 no one ever attempted in any wee te ee anf TT 4" Twas wa Pawn nd awe theantanedA ff aes waw Aletae way wis get me to Join UL. a Wd not AVEC Ws Wild Vo VOL at eiy nay Wd 21465 this time, During this time however, I noticed the U.M.W. tried to organize the men at Mine 'B', These men were those who had been_expelled from P.N./. and also who had been imported. I knew that = were organizing for U.M.Y, at hiine Tot ae ome Ba EL Po Se Sot eT ee ag ty ee mt