The Krug-Lewis Agreement having been breached by you and significant changes in Government wage policy having occurred, you are accordingly hereby officially notified that the United Mine Workers of America requests a joint conference of the accredited representatives of the joint contracting parties to the Krug-Lewis Agreement of May 29, 1946, for the purpose of negotiating new arrangements affecting wages, hours, rules, practices, differentials, inequalities and all other pertinent matters affecting or appertaining to the national bituminous coal industry.
John Lewis, 1946
End of the Krug-Lewis Agreement
Although initially content with the agreement, government mishandling of the contract prompted Lewis to submit new demands for reduced working hours, increased wages, and greater employer contribution to the Funds. However, the government was averse to further involvement in the coal industry, proposing that Lewis negotiate with coal operators for a new deal instead. Lewis refused, and on November 20, 400,000 miners led a walkout that shut down the nation’s bituminous coal industry.
I wish to make it clear that the Government takes no position as to the merit or demerit of these demands [for renegotiation], but under this present proposal, such questions are referred to the operators and the miners for settlement by the process of free collective bargaining.
President Truman, 1946
Notice to Mineworkers, c. 1946, Bettmann Archive
Acceptance of the proposal by the mine workers will satisfy the desire of 140,000,000 Americans for industrial peace and continued production in the soft coal mines, and in all our great industries which are so dependent upon coal.
President Truman, 1946
Lewis Asks Krug For New Coal Pact, c. 1946,
The New York Times
United Mine Workers President John L. Lewis shown leaving
a coal contract negotiation at the Interior Department,
c. 1946, Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
[Another major coal strike] would ultimately bring American industry to a virtual standstill. Such a stoppage would not only create mass unemployment in all industrial centers but would create serious hazards to public health and safety.
John D. Small, 1946
Nation Braces for Coal Strike Tonight, c. 1946, The Evening Star
In the week ended Nov. 30, the first full week of the strike, soft coal production totaled 2,050,000 tons. This was a decrease of 83.5 per cent from the comparable period a year ago.
The New York Times, 1946
Mr. Lewis may have the technical right to call his workers off the job but he has no moral right, with the winter approaching.
Congressman Earl Michener, 1946
Reactions
The coal shortages cut electricity across the country, shutting down industries and causing thousands of people to lose their jobs. The crippling effects the strike had in the U.S. created nationwide hatred towards the union. The government, fearing another disaster, requested an injunction and took Lewis to court.
The reaction on Capitol Hill to the strike revocation was one of relief, but more than one member reaffirmed his determination to amend the labor laws of the land.
The New York Times, 1946
To Be or Not to Be?, c. 1946, The Evening Star
John L. Lewis as he appeared at court, c. 1946,
Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
UMWA vs USA
With the injunction granted and the strike cut short, Lewis was summoned to court to answer for his contempt charges. The judge denied Lewis’s claim that the injunction had broken the Clayton and Norris-La Guardia Acts and ruled that the government could justifiably enforce an injunction to prevent a disaster. The UMWA was fined $700,000, and Lewis was fined $10,000.
The fines in this case were flat fines imposed absolutely, without contingency for compurgation or otherwise. The court acted on the Government's recommendation, which as to the union was made on the basis of $250,000 a day for the fourteen days elapsed after the restraining orders issued and the violations occurred.
US v. UMWA Supreme Court Case, 1947
Collage of Pages from the New York Daily News Relating to the 1946 Coal Strike, c. 1946, Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
Lewis Signs Coal Contract,
1947, Sydney Morning Herald
National Bituminous Coal Agreement
Although Lewis lost the case, his actions helped spark future contracts, securing improvements to rights and conditions for coal miners. The National Bituminous Coal Agreement of 1947 adopted the Mine Safety Code and UMWA Health and Retirement Funds from the Krug-Lewis Agreement, cementing the legacy of the agreement and ensuring that its reforms remained relevant beyond its dissolvement.
For the workers, it means the highest pay in history and the right to work when 'willing and able.' For the public, it means higher coal prices and possibly less coal production under a shorter work day provided in the contract.
The Nome Nugget, 1947
Banner image citation: Helen coal miners 1947, 1947, National Park Service