Fraternity-Testvériség, 1952 (30. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1952-08-01 / 8. szám

TESTVÉRISÉG

7

(3) The union’s principal activity now is its welfare fund. A strike would hit this and hit it hard. The fund, out of which pension and disabilty benefits are paid to thousands of miners and their dependents, is financed by a rayalty payment on each ton of coal mined. A stoppage of production stops payments into the fund. There is a chance that the coal operators will decide to satisfy Lewis’ demands without a fight — though at the moment this seems unlikely.

Possible Demands — Here are some reasonable guesses on Lewis’ 1952 demands:

He will ask that basic pay be raised from 816.35 to $18 a day — about 20 cents an hour more. This is about the same amount that UMW got as a raise February 1, 1951.

He will ask for as shorter work week, based on a seven-hour day, without a cut in weekly pay. Before the wTar, miners worked a seven-hour day. To boost production, they agreed to nine-hour shifts during the war. After wards, the work day was reduced to eight hours — although travel-time and other allowances cut actual work time below that. Lewis wants the reduction now to spread work. Miners have been averaging only three and four days a week.

Lewis will ask for an increase in present $100-a-year vacation pay.

He will also ask for paid holidays. Now, miners get time-and-a half if they work on a holiday — nothing if, as usally happens, the

mines shut down for the day.

He will ask an increase in shift differentials —since 1945, they’ve been 4 cents and 6 cents — to the new steel differentials of 6 cents and 9 cents.

Lewis will ask that the per-ton royalty for UMW’s health-and-welfare fund be raised from 30 cents to 40 cents. The last increase, from 20 cents to 30 cents was in March, 1950. Since then, the cost of benefits has risen; coal output has dropped off.

Currently, the fund has more than $100-mil- lion cached away. That looks like a whale of a big reserve — enough to hold up under whatever strike adventure Lewis might want to undetake. But is it?

Heavy Drain — Certainly the $100-million reserve would pay current benefits for a long time. During the last repoted fiscal year ended June30, 1951. the fund paid out $79.3 million to 186,150 beneficiaries.

This included $42.4 million in pensions, $27.9 million in medical, health, and hospital services, and $9 million in death benefits and aid for widows and dependent children. Total costs for the year, including administrative expenses were $82-million, considerably less than the present fund reserve.

From now on, more miners will be retiring. About 56% are over 40 years old. Substantial number are over 50 and approaching the pension payoff: age 60 after 20 year’s work. So pension costs are due for big annual jumps.

Nagy Ferenc v. magyar miniszlerelnök beszél — Kossuth Ház, 1952 március 17. —