◆ SpookStack

Re: JOHN L. LEWIS, ET AL NTERVIEW WITH Mine B closed. I did not know there was to be a strike on day mine closed in spring of 1937 & I worked till just before quitting time that day. “I did not load any short cars that day & no one said a thing to me about it. When I came out on top some men said in wash house mine was on strike & I want home. I loaded § or 6 cars that day. The mon Said we would not work till they got an agreement. I did not heer then about any men petting expelled from P.M.A. For a week or so we picketed Kine B on Jacksonville Road so no U.U.W. men could get it. I never signed any Petition for P.M.A. or U.M.W. in summer of 1937. J heard that a fev Mine B men worked at Jofferson Mine. One was Tony, an unelé of Tony Plotch. IJ was at sit down strike every day but two days so I stayed therc & watched that no one would damage the property. No oneforced us to go but while there the F.ii.A. men told us to stay there but it was all quiet & peaceful, About 1O men were supposed to go to work on first diy but I don't know if they went dow or not. No outsiders were re brot in, just the local mon. We hac visitors there too. I was there when kiarshall came & he told us to leave & we all went home @ no trouble was there. He said no one else would come in & work & we were all glad to go home then. I never went back to Mine B until it re-opened for good. I never heard if they tried to reoven it later or not after sit-down strike & before Mine B re-opened for good I was in a saloon in Auburn, Thi. & Frank Austin & Bowling Green com: to mc & asked me when I was going to join up witr Ut & they said all wore poing over to U.M.W. &I told them I would sign over when the rcst did. They did not thresten me at all & no one bothered me later on. I votcd at N.L.R.B. election in Armory in Springfield, I11. & I voted P.k.A. both times. No one forced me to vote & it was a secret ballot. It was an honest clection. “e went to union F.u.A. hall first & went over to Armory in groups, of 25 or 50 ata time. I don't know why Elshoff did not sim a contract with P.M.A. I got a letter from Elshorf telling mo t> return to work in fall of 1939 & I think I had to go back in 10 days. I went out & returned to work same day in box@} & it is now shut dom. I paid dues to P.IMA. myself as there was no check-off. Some men talked to me at Mine B of going over to U.¥4.W. but I never was threatened or beaten up. JI heard some were | beaten up & threatened. I think I joined over to U.M.%. efter second N.L.R.B. election. They knew I was P.i/.A. when Kine B reopened. I never signed any cards for U.LSv. or P.K.A. in sumer of 1940. The other day at Wine B Tony Plotch & several Committee men asked a bunch of us who had been scen by Federal men & some put up their hands. Some man who J don't know vas with then & he was fat & hed gray hair & he said to us that the Federal men had no business to talk to us but I still want to talk t> you men as I have nothing to be afraid of. Second N.L.R.B. election was just same as before. I think U.U.. men won because they got more men there. I didn't see new men at saline Bas I was at first cage & did not see all men there. There was some falls in the mine but it wasn't so bad when Mine B re-opened. I never heard about a fire at Mine B ain 1939. I continued = 65 - Plame oe