The Communist Party was founded in the middle of a year of intense militant workers struggle. From coast to coast and among workers in a wide variety of industries, the U.S. working class stood up for its rights and for the dignity of labor. It was met at every step by the forces of capital, be it court orders or the armed might of the police and/or the military. Some workers won victories, but often repression brought about defeat. The flame of righteous struggle, however, could never be extinguished. This essay, the final of a 3-part series, highlights the bravery of coal miners, the workers of Seattle, and steelworkers. Read Part 1 and Part 2.
Coal mining is one of the most dangerous occupations in society. The physical labor of extracting the mineral is exacerbated by the ever-present danger of a cave-in. In its early days, coal mining was a small-time operation, with many mines being surface operations. It was not unusual for the mine owner to work beside his employees.
As the industry grew, however, it became much more capital intensive, and most mines were opened underground. The major centers of coal mining developed in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, and Wyoming.
Employer-worker relations deteriorated as workers asked for safer conditions, better pay, and shorter hours. Strikes became a common feature of the industry. The major union, the United Mine Workers (UMW) was established in 1890. One characteristic of the UMW’s history was a struggle between a militant, often locally-centered rank-and-file and a more “business union”-oriented hierarchy. That was much in evidence in 1919.
During World War I, the coal industry was regulated under what was known as the Washington Agreement. As with the general employer-labor situation at the time, the coal owners made concessions to the union, but forbade strikes.
Miners in the region around Belleville, Ill., ignored these restrictions and, in July 1919, went on strike primarily to end the wartime restrictions and for a new contract, centered on the demand for higher pay.
Over the next several weeks, workers elsewhere, spurred on by a combination of poor economic conditions and in solidarity with their Belleville brethren, went on strike. On Nov. 1, the national office of the UMW called a national strike which, at its height, saw 425,000 miners stopping work.... Read More »
