The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah
Friday Morning, December 18, 1936 (Vol. 134, No. 65)

Bingham, Lark Vote Ends Utah Miners’ Strike.  

Utah’s 65-day-old metal mines strike came to an official close Thursday night with the announcement of a three-to-one vote of union miners at Bingham and Lark to accept proposals worked out between operators and union negotiators Wednesday at Salt Lake City.

Workers Accept Plan Agreed on by Unions and Company Heads.  

Approximately 800 miners at the United States Smelting, Refining and Mining company properties in the two districts will resume work as soon as conditions in the mines can be made ready.

Blood Wins Truce.  

Ending of the strike at Bingham Thursday night climaxed the untiring efforts of Governor Henry H. Blood during the past few weeks to bring operators and strikers together for a settlement of their differences.

Governor Blood was highly optimistic over the outcome of the negotiations.

“The results of our efforts are highly gratifying,” the state’s chief executive said. “It will be a boon to business and industry throughout Utah at a time when it is vital that every possible person be gainfully employed.”

Governor Blood lauded the cooperative spirit of both operators and workmen, and declared it was a pleasure to work with groups so willing to settle their differences.

Vote to Return.  

More than 1200 miners had voted to go back to work in the Park City district Tuesday, and several weeks previously work had been resumed at the mines in the Tintic district and at the Tooele plant of the Intenational Smelting and Refining company, following negotiations with the operators.

A total of more than 3000 metal miners had been affected by the original walkout order.

Reid Robinson of Butte, Mont., president of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, who had led union strikers in their negotiations with operators for the past two weeks, was jubilant over what he termed a “victory for unionism in Utah.”

“First Utah Success”.  

“This strike is the first one successfully carried on in Utah,” said Mr. Robinson Thursday night, following the close of balloting at Bingham, “and union men have really accomplished something. It is the first time collective bargaining has been recognized through organization here. I consider it as a victory for union organization.”

William Lindsay, president of the Lark local No. 91 of the International union, issued the following statement after the ballots had been counted Thursday night:

“The general feeling is that a victory has been gained. The union will continue to build an organization in the Bingham district and will endeavor to make this one of the strongest organizations in the state.

“Men in Bingham are especially proud of the fact that they, being the youngest local, were the last to consent to the arbitrary proposal in which they were granted the 25-cent pay increase. They are determined in the near future to gain the full demand for which they have been striking for the past two months.”

Originally the demands of the miners of all sectors was for a 25-cent raise in daily shift pay and an eight-hour collar-to-collar or portal-to-portal working day.

P. J. Gresham, president of Bingham local No. 2, had no comment to make Thursday night.

Official Pleased.  

E. A. Hamilton of Salt Lake City, manager of mines for the U. S. S. R. & M. company, when informed by The Tribune Thursday night of the results of the union ballot at Bingham, said, “That was the sensible thing to do. I am very pleased at the outcome. We shall start rehiring men Friday, but of course it will take several days before conditions can be shaped up to use the full crew of men again.”

Following on the heels of the favorable vote at Park City Tuesday, Mr. Robinson, Ora L. Wilison of Spokane, International union board member, and Glen G. Gillespie, union board member form Salt Lake City, met with Mr. Hamilton at Salt Lake City Wednesday.

Proposals worked out at the meeting were reported to include a raise of 25 cents a day in pay, rehiring of men employed at the mines when the strike was called October 9, without discrimination because of strike activities, and waiving of physical examinations for the men as a basis of rehiring.

Operators Promise to Rehire all Employes With Short Period.  

Miners affected at the two U. S. properties at Bingham and Lark numbered about 800. Mr. Hamilton said, and these would all be employed by the company again as soon as the properties could be made ready for them.

A general feeling of elation filled the air at Bingham and Lark Thursday night. Men were glad they were going back to work. Christmas will be less bleak for their families, they knew. Business men relaxed, as they felt that they would soon be back to normal operations with 800 men back on payrolls in the near future.

At Park City it was announced by Mearle G. Heitsman, superintendent of the Silver King Coalition Mines company, that 75 per cent of the 600 men employed by his company when the strike started had been reemployed, but that it would be a few days more before the entire personnel could be used.

Working Again.  

Paul Hunt of Keetley, superintendent of the Park Utah Consolidated mines there and at Park City, said the Keetley force of 80 men was working again, and at the Park City properties of the company practically a full crew or the 360 men working when the strike was called would be working by Friday morning, according to O. N. Friendly, general manager.

Work in the Park City Consolidated mines was resumed Thursday, Gloyd M. Wiles, superintendent, stated Thursday night, but only about half of the 180 men ordinarily employed had been put back to work. The others would be placed as fast as the mine could be made ready for them, he said.

In order to make the Christmas checks of the men as large as possible, it was said, Park City operators would work their properties Saturday and Sunday of this week, and pay the men December 24 for work done to and including December 22.

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