Hellraisers Journal – Friday November 18, 1898
Bitter Strike of Miners at Virden Ends in Victory
From the Chicago Daily Inter Ocean of November 16, 1898:
VIRDEN STRIKE ENDS
—–
Mine Operators Agree to
Meet Demands of Men.
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TO PAY UNION WAGES
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Conference Is Held at Company’s
Chicago Offices.
—–
Leaders of Coal Miner’s Organization
Rejoice at the Outcome of
the Bitter Fight.
—–
Striking Miners Gather at O’Neill House after Battle of Virden
The conference between the representatives of the Chicago-Virden Coal company and the striking miners, held yesterday, resulted in an agreement which ends the Virden strike. The demands to the miners have been acceded to in full. The scale agreed upon is 40 cents per ton for hand mining and 33 cents for machine mining.
A formal agreement will be drawn up this morning, which will be signed by President Loucks of the coal company and President Hunter of the Illinois Mine-Workers’ union. The men who have been idle at Virden since April will return to work immediately.
The conference was held at the office of President Loucks, in the Western Union building, behind closed doors, and the following were present: President T. C. Loucks and Manager Fred Lukens of the Chicago-Virden Coal company, Messrs. Hart and York, stockholders, and F. E. Halegan, attorney; [John M.] Hunter, president of the Illinois Mine-Workers’ union; W. D. Ryan, secretary of the state union; John Mitchell, acting president of the United Mine-Workers of America; Edward Cahill, president of the subdistrict branch of the state union, and Daniel Keefe, president of the Longshoremen’s union, and member of the state board of arbitration, who presided. It was largely through the efforts of Mr. Keefe that a settlement was effected.
Insist on State Scale.
The conference lasted all day, and it was evening before an agreement was reached,. The question of wages was the only one upon which there was any wide difference of opinion. The union men stood out for the scale agreed upon at conference of miners and operators held in Chicago last February, known as the Springfield and Chicago scale, which fixes the price for hand-mined coal at 40 cents a ton, and machine-mined coast at 33 cents a ton. President Loucks finally accepted this proposition, and the miners’ representatives undertook to notify the men and have them hold themselves in the readiness to clean out the mine today. When the conference ended, it was with the understanding that the minor details to be discussed, such as the rules for governing the mine, should be settled this morning, when the agreement will be signed.
Under the new agreement the men will be paid “yardage” where openings have to be driven to reach the coal. The miner will supply his own blasting powder, which, according to the agreement of last winter, will be sold by the company at $1.75 a keg. The question of the company running a store where the miners would be compelled to trade did not come up for discussion.
Victory for Illinois Miners.
“The settlement is a great victory for the miners of Illinois,” said John Mitchell. “Its effect upon mining disputes in this state will be far-reaching. It is also a good thing for the company, and the result will be beneficial to all parties. The men will return to work at once.”
“We have telegraphed the miners to be ready to clean out the mine in the morning and prepare for operation,” said President Hunter. “I regard the result as equally beneficial to operators and miners. The settlement affects 500 men-300 at Virden, who do machine mining, and will receive 33 cents a ton, and 200 at Auburn, who do hand mining, and will receive 40 cents a ton. At Pana there are 600 men on strike, but that is a different company. This victory will give them new courage.
“Other coal concerns where there are strikes have made overtures for settlement. The Greenwich Coal company, which operates a mine eight miles from Virden, is ready to settle, and we have been invited to a conference with its officers tomorrow. This mine employed 400 men. We have also overtures from the officials of the Centralia company for a settlement of the strike at Centralia. The Virden mine will be in full operation by the beginning of next week.”
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