LABOR: The New Militancy: A Cry for More

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One of the minor economic miracles in the past couple of years has been the quietly cooperative spirit of U.S. labor. As living costs sailed skyward and corporate profits rose sharply, most of the nation's biggest and toughest unions accepted relatively moderate contracts that added little to the rapid pace of inflation. But that remarkable show of patience has now ended. The American workers' mood has turned increasingly bitter lately, and wage demands have climbed steadily higher.

Last week, in the middle of the most important contract talks of the year, the 120,000-member United Mine Workers went out on strike and quickly won one of the fattest settlements in labor history, a 50% raise in wages and benefits over three years. In the light of labor's understandable frustration with both inflation and recession, the increase could well set a new high goal for other unions to shoot for, with grave consequences for the economy and the nation. Last year most unions were accepting wage-and-benefit increases of little more than 6% in the first year of contracts. During the first six months of 1974, the average settlement climbed to between 8% and 9%, and by September to 11%. The miners' success in achieving 14% to 15% for the first year could easily presage even higher inflationary demands and more disruptive strikes by other unions.

The mine settlement is certain to lift the price of coal—as well as steel, electricity and myriad consumer products—adding further to oppressive living costs, which are now rising at an annual rate of close to 12%. The pact must still be ratified by the entire membership, a new union procedure that will take between eight and ten days and guarantees that the strike will paralyze the mines for at least three weeks. U.M.W. President Arnold Miller has repeatedly stated that his men will not return to the pits before the voting is completed.

Despite the stupendous size of the package, there was little jubilation among the miners in the humpbacked hills and crooked hollows of Appalachia, where most of the nation's coal is dug. Many of the men reckoned that they deserved still more. By last week's end, the union's Bargaining Council, made up of key officers, had not yet approved the contract and ran into surprisingly long arguments over its fine points. Meanwhile, the outcome of the membership-wide vote was uncertain.

First Vote. The U.M.W.'s policy of allowing every member to cast a secret ballot on industry-wide contracts at last brings the miners into the mainstream of progressive unionism. Until now, the final decision on major mine contracts was made at the top. Under the plan, the first vote is cast by the Bargaining Council. The schedule then calls for the agreement to be explained to 800 delegates from the local unions at a meeting in Pittsburgh late this week. The delegates will then take the 58-page agreement back to their local headquarters, where it will be explained in great detail to members before they vote. The union hopes to distribute a copy of the contract to each miner for study, and Miller has insisted that the agreement be written in plain language.