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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
L. B. Schwellenbach, Secretary
BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
A . F. Hinrichs, Acting Commissioner
+
Wage Structure in Bitum inousCoal M ining, Fall o f
1945
B ulletin TVfo. 867
For sale by the Superintendent o f Documents, U. S. Governm ent Printing Office
Washington 25, D. C. - Price 5 cents
Letter of Transmittal
U
n it e d
States D
B
epartm ent
ureau
of
L
of
abor
L
abor,
S t a t is t ic s ,
Washington, D. C., May 20, 1946
T
he
Secretary
of
L
abor
:
I have the honor to transmit herewith a report on the wage structure in bituminous-coal mining, fall of 1945. This study was prepared by Pamela Brown and
Ardemis Kouzian, of the Bureau’s Wage Analysis Branch. The field work was
done under the direction of the wage analysts in the Bureau’s regional offices.
A. F. H i n r i c h s , Acting Commissioner,
H o n . L. B. S c h w e l l e n b a c h ,
Secretary of Labor,
Contents
P a ge
696320—46
05
<H )
1
co co
Summary____________________________________________
Provisions of national bituminous coal wage agreement.
Average earnings in fall of 1945______________________
Wage and related practices___________________________
Scope and method of survey__________________________
Explanation of terms____________________________
B ulletin 7^o. 867 o f the
U nited States B ureau o f Labor Statistics
[Reprinted from the M onthly L abor R eview , April 1946]
W age Structure in B itum inous-C oal M ining, F all o f
1945 1
Sum m ary
Current earnings in bituminous-coal mining as of the fall of 1945
are summarized in this report, which is based upon a survey of wages,
hours, and wage practices in the industry, conducted by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics. The survey, initiated late in 1945, is one of a re
cently expanded series of BLS wage studies of leading American in
dustries and the first comprehensive report since 1936 of wages in
bituminous-coal mines.
In the underground bituminous-coal mines, which employ more
than 300,000 workers, average straight-time hourly earnings in key
occupations for the country as a whole ranged from 95 cents for slate
pickers (except for a comparatively few workers in one other occupa
tion) to $1.42 for shot firers, paid on an incentive basis. Gross
weekly earnings averaged as low as $45.64 for drivers and as high
as $80.48 for inside maintenance mechanics. Considerable vari
ation from the national averages occurred in the coal districts tabu
lated, and there was little consistency from district to district in the
occupations for which the lowest average was found. The highest
average was most usually shown for cutting-machine operators in
underground mines and power-shovel operators in strip mines.
For the 18,000 workers employed in strip mines, the national
straight-time averages ranged from 97 cents per hour for groundmen
and slate pickers to $1.64 for power-shovel operators. The extremes
in gross weekly earnings in strip mines were $43.54 for slate pickers
and $98.22 for power-shovel operators.
Occupations selected for use in the study represented key jobs—
those numerically important as well as those important from the
standpoint of wage determination—which it was believed would be
indicative of earnings throughout the industry at various skill levels.
These occupations represent two-thirds of the workers in the bitumi
nous-coal industry. Hence, although not all occupations in the mines
were included in the survey, the national straight-time earnings per
hour of $1.07 shown by the study are believed to approximate the
average for all occupations in the underground and strip mines for the
bituminous-coal industry as a whole. Considered separately, the
average for underground mines was $1.07 and for strip mines $1.19.
1A forthcoming mimeographed report will contain detailed statistics on earnings, b y occupation, district,
and type of mine.
(D
2
Gross weekly earnings averaged $55.64 for the selected occupations—
$55.29 for underground and $64.43 for strip mines.
A small number of the occupations studied accounted for the great
majority of the estimated number of workers in all of the selected
occupations, hand loaders being by far the most important numerically
in underground mines, but cutting-machine operators and helpers,
motormen, trackmen, brakemen, and timbermen also being of compar
ative numerical importance.
Hand loaders averaged $1.06 and $1.07 per hour (straight time)
when paid on an incentive and a time basis, respectively, and their
average gross weekly earnings were about $50.
The average straight-time hourly earnings for cutting-machine
operators and helpers varied both by method of pay and according to
whether or not they were in the group in which operators and helpers
worked interchangeably, However, for each of these classes the
average was oyer $1.10 per hour and as high as $1.38 for operators and
helpers working interchangeably, on an incentive basis. Gross
weekly earnings averaged $76.04 for the latter group.
Trackmen and timbermen averaged $1.00 an hour, motormen $1.02,
and.brakemen 99 cents. Average gross weekly earnings for these
occupations varied from $50.46 for brakemen to $57.05 for motormen,
and amounted to almost $54.00 for trackmen and timbermen.
In strip mines, workers were quite largely concentrated in two
occupations— truck and tractor operators and power-shovel operators.
The United States average straight-time hourly earnings for the
former were $1.03 and for the latter $1.64. Average gross weekly
earnings for the two occupations amounted to $50.49 and $98.22,
respectively. For two other numerically important jobs (slate pick
ers and groundmen) average straight-time earnings of 97 cents per
hour were shown, but the average gross weekly earnings differed;
they were $43.54 for slate pickers and $52 for groundmen.
A much larger proportion of the strip than of the underground
mines studied reported second- and third-shift operations. However,
where such shifts were scheduled, payment of a 4- and 6-cent differ
ential, respectively, was made.
A workday of 9 hours and a workweek of 54 hours constituted the
predominant schedule for inside workers in underground mines. For
outside workers (on noncontinuous operations) the most commonly
scheduled workday was 8# hours and the usual scheduled workweek
49K hours in both underground and strip mines studied. Premium
overtime was usually paid after 7 hours for the first 5 days and for
all work oh the sixth and seventh consecutive days.
The great majority of the underground mines studied were operating
under union agreement, whereas almost 40 percent of the strip mines
were nonunion. Size of mines varied from 20 workers (the minimum
size included in the study) to over 500, but the majority had fewer
than 250 employees.
In the mines studied there were no provisions for paid sick leave
for mine workers, but most of the mines had formal provisions for
paid vacation or for payment in lieu of vacation. Insurance or
pension plans were comparatively infrequent.
3
Provisions o f N ational Bitum inous Coal W age Agreem ent
The National Bituminous Coal Wage Agreement, signed by the
United Mine Workers of America and the Coal Operators and Associ
ations on April 11, 1945, established the hours of work and methods
of computing pay. Since this agreement affects such a large seg
ment of workers in bituminous-coal mines it is necessary to take such
provisions into account in arriving at any picture of earnings in the
industry.
The agreement provided for different hours and computation of
pay for (a) inside day workers, (b) for inside piece workers, (c) for
outside workers on continuous operations, and (d) for outside workers
on noncontinuous operations. This classification of workers was
used in compiling the data presented in this study.
For outside workers on continuous operations ^ workday of 8 hours
and 35 minutes was provided, time and a half being paid after 8 hours;
for outside workers on noncontinuous operations a workday of 8 hours
and 15 minutes (including a 15-minute paid lunch period) with time
and a half after 7 hours. In addition, each outside worker, whether
on continuous or noncontinuous operations, was to receive $1.07 per
day “ to equalize earnings of outside employees with earnings of the
inside employees.” The rate of time and a half applied to all time
worked on the sixth consecutive day.
For inside day (time) workers a workday of 9 horns (portal to
portal) was provided in the agreement, the first 7 hours to be paid
at straight-time rates, the eighth hour at time and a half, and the
ninth hour at a flat rate of $1.50 ($1.00 at time and a half). On the
sixth consecutive day the time-and-a-half rate applied to 8 hours and
the flat $1.50 rate to the ninth hour.
The agreement also provided a workday of 9 hours (portal to
portal) for inside piece (tonnage) workers, earnings to be figured on
a piece-rate basis to which would be added one-ninth of such daily
earnings as payment of premium overtime beyond 7 hours and for
travel. On the sixth consecutive day, the tonnage workers’ piecerate earnings were computed at a rate of time and a half, and oneninth of the amount of such earnings was added to make up the total
for the day.
In the actual application of the provisions of the National Bitumin
ous Coal Wage Agreement some variation in interpretations was
found on both a local and a district level. In collecting and tabulating
the material for the Bureau of Labor Statistics study the endeavor
was made to present the earnings picture as it actually existed in the
fall of 1945, as evidenced by pay-roll records, within the limits set
for the different items.
Average Earnings in Fall o f 1945
The national average of straight-time hourly earnings for the com
bined selected occupations in underground and strip mines was $1.07
($1.07 for the selected occupations in underground and $1.19 in strip
mines). In view of the careful selection of the key occupations
studied, which were chosen to include jobs at various skill and earn
ings levels, it is believed that that average is fairly representative of
4
the average for all mine jobs. The same would be true of the average
gross weekly earnings, which amounted to $55.29 for the selected
occupations in underground mines and $64.43 in strip mines, or $55.64
in the two types combined.
For all the selected occupations in underground mines United States
average straight-time hourly earnings*2 varied from a low of 94 cents
an hour for pick miners (paid on a time basis)3 and 95 cents for slate
pickers to $1.42 for shot firers (paid on an incentive basis) and $1.38
for cutting-machine operators and helpers (incentive workers).
Except for pick miners these same occupations also accounted for the
extremes in the United States average straight-time earnings per start
($7.91 to $12.54 and $12.10, respectively). However, the lowest aver
age gross weekly earnings were reported forTpick miners (time) ($45.68)
and underground drivers ($45.64) and the highest ($80.48 and $77.67)
for inside maintenance mechanics and electricians.
For all districts combined, the jobs of greatest numerical importance
in underground mines were hand loaders, cutting-machine operators
and helpers, motormen, trackmen, brakemen, and timbermen. Aver
age earnings for these occupations are, therefore, of special interest.
In each of these particular occupations the average actual number
of hours worked per day was 9 or very close to it. Hand loaders
averaged $1.06 and $1.07 per hour (straight time) when paid on an
incentive and a time basis, respectively, and their average gross
weekly earnings were about $50. The average straight-time hourly
earnings for cutting-machine operators and helpers varied both by
method of pay and according to whether or not they were in the group
in which operators and helpers worked interchangeably. However,
for eaph of these classes the average was over $1.10 per hour and as
high as $1.38 for operators and helpers working interchangeably on an
incentive basis. Gross weekly earnings averaged $76.04 for the latter
group. Trackmen and timbermen averaged $1 an hour, motormen
$1.02, and brakemen 99 cents. Average gross weekly earnings for
these occupations varied from $50.46 for brakemen to $57.05 for
motormen, and was almost $54 for trackmen and timbermen.
In strip mines, truck and tractor operators and power-shovel
operators were numerically the most important of the jobs shown.
Average straight-time earnings per hour for all districts combined
ranged from 97 cents for groundmen and slate pickers to $1.64 for
power-shovel operators. The latter two occupations also accounted
for the extremes in average straight-time earnings per start of $8.04
and $14.33, respectively, and in average gross weekly earnings of
$43.54 for slate pickers, to $98.22 for power-shovel operators.
In individual districts, average earnings varied considerably
from the national average. Workers in underground mines were
heavily concentrated in Coal Act Production Districts 1, 2, 7, and 8,
and Districts 3, 4, 10, and 13 were also relatively important.4 In
four of these important districts the lowest average earnings per hour
for any of the selected jobs were between 95 cents and $1 and were
less than 90 cents in only one instance— 80 cents for 3 jobs in Dis
2 The averages were obtained b y weighting each average b y the number of workers receiving the average.
2 Comparatively few workers were employed as pick miners (paid on an incentive basis); m uch larger
numbers were em ployed as slate pickers.
* Coal A ct Production Districts should not be confused with United M ine Workers districts.
Although
in some cases they are the same, in general the Coal A ct Production Districts are somewhat broader.
5
trict 13. The lowest average in any individual district was shown in
District 15 (58 cents for pick miners paid on incentive basis), whereas
in District 19 $1.04 was the lowest average reported. The highest
straight-time average earnings per hour for an individual job, which
amounted to $1.42 on a Nation-wide basis, varied for individual
Districts from 97 cents in District 15 to $1.51 in District 8. The
occupations for which the lowest average hourly earnings were re
ported showed little uniformity from district to district. The
highest average hourly earnings were usually shown for cuttingmachine operators. Average gross weekly earnings varied from a
low of about $21 in District 15 and $32 in District 8 to a high of
over $92 in District 7.
W age and Related Practices
“ Fringe issues,” covering working conditions and other provisions
that affect real income without raising hourly rates of pay, became
increasingly important during the war years as a result of wartime
stabilization of wage rates.
Rate structure.—All of the strip mines and practically all of the
underground mines studied had formalized their rate structure at the
time this study was made, by providing a written or other generally
recognized rate or scale of rates for each occupational group in the
mine. The single rate for an individual occupation in a mine, as dis
tinguished from a range of rates, was the type prevailing in almost
all of these mines.
Method of wage 'payment.— Three of every five of the underground
mines studied, but none of the strip mines, paid a significant portion
of their mine workers on an incentive basis. However, only 22 per
cent of the mine workers in underground mines were paid on an incen
tive basis (usually of the piece-rate type).6 The proportion varied
from district to district, being highest in District 1. The great
majority of the hand loaders and pick miners were paid on an incentive
basis, and cutting-machine operators and helpers were also frequently
paid on this basis.
Scheduled hours of work fo r first-shift workers.— The following infor
mation refers to scheduled rather than actual hours of work. It
should be recognized that actual hours may be either shorter or longer
than scheduled hours, being influenced on the one hand by such factors
as absenteeism, break-downs in equipment, and material shortages,
and on the other by emergency needs for increased production.
Scheduled hours refer to the usual workweek of full-time first-shift
workers in the mine. Scheduled hours are to be distinguished not
only from actual hours of work but from basic straight-time hours
beyond which premium overtime is paid.
A 9-hour day and 54-hour week were scheduled in over three-fifths
of the underground mines studied, in which inside day and piece
workers were employed. The next most frequently reported sched
ules for inside workers were the 8-hour day, 40-hour week and the
9-hour day, 45-hour week; however, these hours for inside day or
* For purposes of reporting the number of mines with incentive systems, mines with a fourth or more o f
their mine workers paid on this basis were classified as predominantly incentive. However, in determining
the proportion of employees paid on an incentive basis, incentive workers in all mines were included regard
less of the predominant m ethod of wage payment in the mine.
6
piece workers were reported by less than a tenth of the mines. For
outside workers engaged on continuous operations three-fifths of the
underground mines reported schedules of 8 hours and 35 minutes per
day and 51 % hours per week. For workers on noncontinuous opera
tions, a schedule of 8% hours per day and 49K hours per week was
most frequently reported in both underground and strip mines
studied. These most commonly scheduled daily hours conformed to
those provided for by the National Bituminous Coal Wage Agreement.
Shift operations.— In underground mines throughout the United
States, workers employed on the first, second, and third shifts repre
sented 73, 23, and 4 percent of the total, respectively. However,
only 58 percent of the mines studied reported a second shift and 27
percent a third (or other) shift.
Variation from this national pattern occurred in individual Coal
Act Production Districts. District 4 reported 56 percent of its work
ers on the first, 28 percent on the second, and 16 percent on the third
(or other) shift. District 12 had the highest proportion of its work
ers on the first shift (93 percent). The proportion of mines scheduling
second-shift operations ranged from 84 percent in Coal Act Production
District 7, to 6 percent in District 12. Three of the five mines in
District 11 reported third-shift operations, whereas none were reported
in the five mines in District 20.
The use of shift employment in strip mines varied slightly from
that in underground mines. Seventy-eight percent of the workers
were reported on the first shift, 16 percent on the second, and 6 percent
on the third (or other) shift..
Eighty percent of the strip mines studied reported second-shift
operations and 50 percent third (or other) shift operations, as com
pared to the 58 and 27 percent of underground mines. In each of
the Coal Act Production Districts covered, no less than 69 percent
of the workers were employed on the first shift; Districts 13 and 19
had as high as 94 percent on this shift, and Districts 3 and 7 had 93
percent.
As many as 23 percent of the mine workers in District 2 were
represented on the second shift. Most of the districts, however, had
less than 15 percent of the mine employees working on the second
shift.
Shift differentials.— In both underground and strip mines, additions
of 4 cents and 6 cents per hour represented the differential paid for
work on the second and third shifts, respectively.
Ninety-six percent of the 287 underground mines operating second
shifts and 98 percent of the 133 underground mines operating third
shifts reported payment of shift differentials. The small group that
did not pay such differentials for second- or third-shift operations
consisted primarily of nonunion mines.
Of the 84 strip mines operating second shifts, only two-thirds re
ported payment of a shift differential, as compared with three-fourths
of the 53 mines operating third (or other) shifts. Union mines con
stituted the majority of those strip mines paying such compensatory
differentials for work on late shifts.
Paid lunch periods.— A paid lunch period of 15 minutes was the
most usual provision in bituminous-coal mines. In a very few of the
mines studied a 30-minute paid lunch period was provided. This
7
lunch period was considered part of working time in computing aver
age hours per start and average straight-time earnings.
Bonuses not directly related to production.— Information was request
ed as to the payment of nonproduction bonuses (such as profit-sharing,
safety, attendance, and Christmas bonuses) which were not directly
dependent upon the output of either individuals or groups of workers.
It was found that payments such as these were made to the mine
workers in only 8 underground and 11 strip mines. With one excep
tion in strip and one in underground, these all took the form of Christ
mas bonuses. Among the mines which reported the employment of
office workers, slightly more liberal practices were in effect; 15 percent
of the underground and 26 percent of the strip mines provided bonuses
to this group of workers.
Paid-vacation provisions.— Formal provisions for paid vacations to
workers in the mines scheduled were reported in nearly 9 out of every
10 underground mines and 7 out of every 10 strip mines. The $75
payment in lieu of vacation (which is the provision specified in the
1945 National Bituminous Coal Wage Agreement) was the type most
frequently reported; in 12 Coal Act Production Districts (8 districts
representing 117 underground mines and 4 districts representing 22
strip mines) all of the mines scheduled reported this practice.
Formal vacation provisions for office workers were reported by
nearly half of the underground mines that employed such workers;
2 weeks’ vacation was the most frequent provision. Among strip
mines a higher proportion was found without than with formal
vacation provisions for office workers.
Paid sick leave.— There were no formal provisions for paid sick leave
for mine workers in any of the mines studied. Such provisions were
also lacking for office workers in practically all of the mines.
Insurance or pension plans.— Participation by mine operators in a
form of insurance or pension plan (other than social security and
workmen’s compensation) was reported in only 10 percent of the
underground and 13 percent of the strip mines. Life insurance
represented the type of plan most frequently provided and health
insurance was the next most frequent type. Plans of this type for
office workers were somewhat more frequent; they were reported
by 16 percent of the underground and 17 percent of the strip mines
in which office workers were employed.
Scope and M ethod o f Survey
This study of earnings in bituminous-coal mines was made by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics in the fall of 1945, as part of its general
program to provide current wage information for the leading industries
in the United States. The latest previous detailed study of wages in
this industry was made by the Bureau in 1936. In the 9 intervening
years many significant changes have occurred in the wage structure of
this industry. New agreements have had a profound effect on earn
ings, hours of work, and such related practices as shift differentials
and vacations. Essentially, since the fall of 1945 there has been little
change in the wage situation in bituminous-coal mining and the data
presented in this report reflect the wage picture as of the late winter
and early spring of 1946.
8
The study covered both underground (shaft, drift, and slope) and
strip bituminous-coal mines but did not cover anthracite mines.
Mines operating under agreement with the United Mine Workers of
America, with the Progressive Mine Workers of America, and with
other unions are included, as well as nonunionized mines. The mines
studied were selected to provide balanced geographical distribution of
the industry. Only mines employing 20 or more workers were
included but within that group mines of various sizes were represented.
Coverage of study.—Data were obtained from a total of 492 under
ground mines employing over 73,000 workers, and 105 strip mines
employing 6,500 workers, or about a fourth of all underground mines
and over a third of all strip mines having 20 or more workers. The
proportions of workers in mines included m the study were similar to
the proportions of mines covered. Based upon this representative
survey, estimates were made to represent the entire industry.
Most of the mines studied had fewer than 250 workers, the percent
of mines in the different size groups being as follows:
Underground
mines
Mines with—
(:percent)
20-50 employees______________________________ 37
51-250 employees_____________________________ 45
251-500 employees____________________________ 13
501 and over employees_______________________
5
Total___________________
100
Strip
mines
( percent)
62
35
3
_
100
Unionization was much more extensive in underground than in
strip mines. In underground mines all but about an eighth of the
mines covered were operating under agreements with the United Mine
Workers or other unions, whereas in strip mines about two-fifths were
nonunion.
In all areas a pay-roll period in the fall of 1945 was selected for
the study, and care was taken in each case to choose a representative
period. The exact month used differed slightly in the different areas;
although a period in September or October was usually chosen,
in some mines it was necessary to use an August or November period
in order to avoid scheduling an abnormal pay-roll period.
The wage data were compiled by field agents of the Bureau directly
from pay-roll and other company records. In order to obtain com
parable information as between different mines and districts, uniform
job descriptions were prepared and used by the agents in obtaining
the information.
Data were obtained for selected occupations rather than for all
occupations in the mine. Occupations selected for use in the study
represented key jobs— those numerically important as well as those
that are important from the standpoint of wage determination—
which it was believed would be indicative of earnings throughout the
industry at various skill levels. It is estimated that for the entire
country the workers in the selected occupations in underground
mines represented slightly over 70 percent of all the workers in such
mines and that in strip mines the coverage in selected occupations
covered was about 55 percent. Because of the inclusion of jobs at
the various levels of earnings the results are believed to approximate
closely the average for all jobs in the industry.
9
With the exception of office workers, few women were employed
in mines.
A worker employed in more than one occupation during a day was
classified in the principal occupation or the one in which he spent
the major part of his time. Earnings on days on which he was em
ployed primarily on another job were excluded in computftig average
earnings per hour and start, but not from gross weekly earnings.
The data were tabulated for each Coal Act Production District
as well as for the United States as a whole. The territorial boundaries
of these districts were originally specified in the schedule of districts
annexed to the Bituminous Coal Act of 1937; this act, which was for
the purpose of regulating interstate commerce in bituminous coal,
also established the National Bituminous Coal Commission. The
Bureau's study included underground mines in all but 5 of the 23
districts and strip mines in all but 9; in these omitted districts there
were either no mines employing as many as 20 workers or too few
mines to be of significance.
The wage structure of the industry is highly complex. It is affected
by the provisions of the National Bituminous Coal Wage Agreement.
This complexity necessitates certain arbitrary decisions on the limits
to be set forth describing earnings per day or per start and on other
bases for describing earnings. It should be clearly understood that
the summaries of types of earnings presented in this study do not
constitute a judgment by the Bureau as to what should be used as a
proper measurement of wages in the industry, but have been chosen
rather because they appeared significant and lent themselves to statis
tical summary.
EXPLANATION OF TERMS
Average gross weekly earnings include both straight-time and over
time earnings and shift differentials for an actual workweek. If the
pay-roll period exceeded a week, gross earnings for tlie entire pay-roll
period were reduced to a weekly basis by applying a factor based on
the number of working days in the period and the length of the sched
uled workweek in the mine.6 These gross earnings excluded only
nonproduction bonuses and costs of explosives, carbide, tool sharpen
ing, etc. The latter costs were excluded whether borne by the worker
(either through deductions from earnings or by outside purchase) or
borne by the company (through an allowance added to the worker's
pay). Workers'payments for food and other purchases at company
stores, for company housing, utilities, union dues, hospitalization, and
similar items (even when deducted from pay rolls) are included in
total pay.
Average straight-time earnings per start {day) cover the actual work
day, not merely the seven hours for which straight-time rates are
paid. They exclude, for all groups of workers, premium (but not
straight-time) payments for overtime and night work, nonproduction
bonuses, and cost of explosives, carbide, and tool sharpening. For
mines operating under the provisions of the National Bituminous
• For example, during the pay-roll period of Sept. 16-30 in a mine working a scheduled 6-day week, there
were 12 working days including 2 premium-pay (sixth consecutive day) days. Since a normal workweek
would consist of 6 days including 1*premium day, a factor of 0.500 was used to reduce semimonthly earn
ings to a weekly basis.
10
Coal Wage Agreement or similar agreements certain specific items,
entering into total earnings, were considered as part of premium
overtime payments and excluded in order to arrive at straight-time
earnings figures. For outside workers these deductions are the small
portion of the $1.07 7 (added to outside workers’ earnings as equaliza
tion) wh* 5i may be considered the premium part of the addition to the
overtime't ours. For inside day workers they are 50 cents of the $1.50
ninth-hour pay; for inside piece workers, all of the one-ninth addition
to earnings. The agreement is not clear as to how the latter item
(additional one-ninth) is divided between premium payment for
overtime and travel. In the absence of definite determination on this
point, the entire one-ninth was excluded from straight-time earnings.
Average straight-time earnings 'per hour represent total straight-time
earnings per pay period divided by the hours worked during the period.
In most mines actual hours for day workers were available from time
or pay-roll records. If records of actual hours were not kept by the
mine (usually for piece workers) scheduled hours were used.
Average hours per start {day) represent portal-to-portal time, includ
ing travel time for inside workers and a 15-minute lunch period.
Because of methods used in deriving the averages and also because of
the rounding of figures, average hours per start multiplied by straighttime average hourly earnings did not always agree exactly with the
average straight-time earnings per start.
* I f the $1.07 is prorated over 7 hours at straight time and 1 hour and 15 minutes at time and a half (outside
workers on noncontinuous operations) it results in a total of $0,995 at straight time for the day.
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