I have never faltered or failed to present the cause or plead the case of the mine workers of this country. I have pleaded your case not in the quavering tones of a mendicant asking alms, but in the thundering voice of the captain of a mighty host, demanding the rights to which free men are entitled.
John Lewis, 1946
The Krug-Lewis Agreement
Formed by Secretary of the Interior Julius Krug and the UMWA President John L. Lewis, the Krug-Lewis Agreement was the government's solution to the ongoing coal strikes that were crippling the nation. The agreement would take effect on May 29, 1946, and would last for the short period during which the government controlled the coal mines.
I am sure Mr. Lewis will agree that the contract is fair to the operators and men alike. It's too bad we didn't have it two months ago.
Julius Krug, 1946
John Lewis and Julius Krug sign the Krug-Lewis Agreement
The Promise of 1946, 1946, United Mine Workers of America
It is a victory for Lewis over the government and a defeat for the American people, who must foot the bill.
John D. Battle, executive secretary of the National Coal Association, 1946
Soft coal miners return to work, c. 1946, Bettman Archive
Reforms
The Krug-Lewis Agreement was everything John Lewis and the UMWA could have asked for. Some notable aspects included a wage increase for miners and more paid vacation time, but the most defining provisions were the creation of the Federal Mine Safety Code and the Health and Retirement Funds for coal miners.
The Promise made in the White House in 1946 did several things, but none was more important than guaranteeing retirement security for coal miners and their families for their service to the Nation, including cradle to grace health care.
UMWA President Cecil E. Roberts, 2016
The Mine Safety Code
On July 26, 1946, Julius Krug announced the finalized Mine Safety Code, passing into law a few days later. The code was an extensive list of over 300 standards applying to over 4,500 coal mines. Inspectors and newly created local mine safety committees would enforce the code and report hazards and violations.
These standards apply specifically to such aspects and hazards of mining operations as ventilation and gases, explosives, timbering, rock dust, transportation or haulage, electricity, fires and disasters, and a list of miscellaneous items.
The New York Times, 1946
Mine Safety Code Ordered by Krug, c. 1946,
The New York Times
A milestone on the road that leads to making American mines the safest in the world.
Julius Krug, 1946
A smiling nurse tends to an injured coal miners hand at a
medical center c. 1954, Popperfoto
The Health and Retirement Funds
The Krug-Lewis Agreement established two funds. The retirement fund would financially support retired coal miners and their families by mandating coal operators to pay a 5-cent royalty for every ton of coal produced for sale or use. The healthcare fund would pool money from salary deductions to provide medical support for miners. These funds were revolutionary for coal miners since no prior securities existed.
The trustees shall administer this fund so as to provide, or to arrange for the availability of, medical, hospital and related services for the miners and their dependents. The money in this fund shall be used for the indicated purposes at the discretion of the trustees of the fund.
Krug-Lewis Agreement
This agreement between the Secretary of the Interior, acting as Coal Mines Administrator under the authority of Executive Order No. 9728, and the United Mine Workers of America, covers for the period of government possession the terms and conditions of employment in respect to all mines in government possession.
Krug-Lewis Agreement
Banner image citation: Helen coal miners 1947, 1947, National Park Service