Salt Lake Telegram | 1949-05-25 | Page 7 | Lewis Warns Rebel Wing They Face July Shutdown

Lewis Warns Rebel Wing They Face July Shutdown BLUEFIELD W. W Va May 25 John PI John L L. Lewis served warning warning warn warn- ing Wednesday on coal interests which withdrew from bargaining talks s here with ith the United Mine Workers that they face a shutdown shut hut down July 1 The notice came about at the opening of negotiations neg between Lewis and the Southern Coal Producers Producers' Producers Producers' Producers Producers' Pro Pro- On the eve of these talks the V Virginia and Winding Gulf two big member groups in the S CPA C P A with tons of annual production production production tion pulled out The Lewis warning was aimed at these associations and other companies which are members of the S CPA C P A but not participating in the negotiating conference Most of the coal operators said they did not regard Lewis' Lewis remarks as a threat to break up the conference conference conference con con- ference itself There was also a hint that Lewis might challenge S C CPAs CPA's P As A's right to speak for the rest of the south He demanded that the conference conference conference confer confer- ence credentials committee check the production actually It is ts required by the associations association's associations associations association's as as- own laws by-laws Lewis pointed out that any contract must be approved by three fourths of the associations association's directors The southern association headed b by Joseph E E. E Moody asked for the talks tats which opened Wednesday Lewis said the mine workers had no alternative but to accept accept accept ac ac- ac- ac the Moody invitation unless we wanted to sustain ustain the pain and legal sanctions if we did not attend attend at at- tend The notice by S CPA C P A that the contract t terminates e r m i n a ate t e s June 30 amounts to a declaration that there will be no contract between the S CPA C P A and the mine workers as of June 10 0 Lewis said The Lewis move mO delayed any further business until noon