December 13th, 1919.
THE COMMUNIST Page Five The United Mine Workers of America solve in 1867 Early History By John Langley five of the seven demands of the Colorado strikers were laws on the statute books of The American Miners Association.
usual degree; a past full of failures; a the state Eloquent testimony to the eft Organization among the coal miners of marked dissimilarity in language, race, rejectiveness of social reform! Officially the United States has been subject to ligion: the existence of a normal surplus of the Colorado strike lasted 10 months and marked vicissitudes.
Not until the present mine labor, and last but not least a solid the national union alone expended 209. 000 organization, the United Nine Workers, got united front of operators.
to finance it the upper hand did there seem any hope for In 1900 there was a gigantic attempt on In all 4, 500, 000 was spent by Labor and permanent unionization of the mine workthe part of the union to conquer the anthraover 12, 000, 000 by the industrial democers. The tremendous number of workers, the cite fields of ennsylvania. With but 8000 racy of Rockefeller.
extremely different conditions in different anthracite workers in its camp, the In its present industrial form the districts, and the large proportion of immiW. declared a general strike in the hard coal is one of America youngest unions. It grant workers have all greatly interfered fields. The result was a surprise to all. The is but 18 years old; yet it is the biggest with the existence of miners organizations.
Me first national miners organization was operators received the soundest beating. union in the world and its only rivals for general improvement of conditions, an in first place are federations like the German the American Miners Association, estabcrease in wages amounting to 5, 000, 000 and Metal Trades and the International Translished in Illinois in 1861. Its founders were an addition of 100, 000 anthracite miners to port Workers. These war and revolution men schooled in English trade unionism. It the was the result. However, it have weakened Its membership is a bit gradually extended its powers to several was only with great reluctance that the fluctuating because of the shifting of men eastern states. However, it lacked centunion renewed this agreement. At this time and unemployment. To day close to 500, ralization, and quarrels among its officials the was still a narrow, aristo 000 are dues paying members.
coupled with strike failures caused it to discratic union of the class of the Typographical Workers. hot jurisdictional Objects The Miners and Laborers Benevolent fight broke out between the miners organizAmong its objects the union puts first: ation and that of the Mine Stationary FireAssociation. To unite in ne organization regardless of men and Blacksmiths. In order to preserve creed, color, or nationality, all workmen The vear 1869 witnessed the birth oi the their solidarity, they dropped their old craft eligible for membership, employed in and Miners and Laborers Benevolent Issoci lines and joined hands in May 1901 to be around the coal mines, coal washers and ation in the anthracite coal region of Penn come an industrial union, the present form coke ovens on the American continent. This sylvania. Soon it brought its iniluence for of the comprehensiveness makes the an unionism into the bituminous regions of The occasion of the Anthracite strike of industrial and not a trade union It has no western Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, 1902 was the demand of the for labor aristocrats and wins and loses as a Maryland and Kentucky. It did not extend an increase in wages, shorter hours, and unit. Its second demand reads: To into the western states, although separate other concessions. This time 147, 000 ancrease the wages, and improve the conorganizations exchanged cards with it.
swered the strike call of the union. Indeed, ditions of employment of our members by In 1873 it was absorbed by the Miners it may be rightly said that the twentieth legislation, conciliation, joint agreements or National Association, a more widely ex century opened with this great anthracite strikes. These methods have been used tended body. For two or three years the battle. Baer famous doctrine of the divine singly or sometimes even all combined. Since new organization, under the leadership of right of capital, national conventions, riots, the union has come into existence on John Siney, was rather prosperous. Soon, a coal famine, and Roosevelt commission have increased more than 200 and th: however, wages fell, and a series of disast were brought forth. The strike was compro hour day is universal within its own fielu rous strikes (culminating in the iatal strug mised by John Mitchell loyalty and of jurisdiction. Although most of the gle which was known as the Long Strike. Roosevelt interference. The foundation hour laws now on state statute books owe blotted it out of existence. Some of the of John Mitchell fortune was laid at this their existence to the eiforts of the locals were absorbed by the Knights of time. The liberation of the miner from one still most of its gains have been seLabor.
of the worst phases oi wage slavery was cured through conciliation by threat of Chaos in organization ended with the initiated. The miner ceased to be a serf strikes and strikes. third object is: To formation of the National Federation of owing allegiance to the coal baron. Pros demand that not more than hours from Miners and Mine laborers in 1885. It suctituted elections, notorious company bank to bank in cach 24 hours shall be ceeded in securing trade agreements from stores. the employment of thugs, and the worked by any members of the organizthe operators of Pennsylvania, Ohio, In miserable shacks of the workers received a ation. This was wholly realized when the diana, and West Virginia. January 1886 was heavy blow in the fields ruled by the anthracite workers secured the hour day held the the first interstate joint conference 11. Such conditions flourish this very day after the last joint conference in 1916. Tr of miners and operators. Wrangling over in the non union fields.
provide for the education of our children interstate agreements decreased the power The thing that surprises one in investi lawfully prohibiting their employment un of the union very seriously.
gating this union is this: The government they have at least reached sixteen years In 1890 the United Mine Workers was labor documents show that there have been agc, is another of its demands. The six organized. For the first time practically all more official investigations of strikes in object provides for the securing of oldthe organized miners throughout the coun mining industries than of those in any other pensions and workmen compensation la try were brought together. The great strike dozen trades! And like in all other histories Its eighth object is To secure by leg of 1897 was its life test. Thousands of the most emphasis has been laid on the battles.
tive enactment laws protecting the li non union men flocked to its colors and the The is feverishly and constantly lives, and health of our members; estal number of members grew from 11, 000 to at work unionizing the unorganized mine ing our right to organize; prohibiting 54, 000 with the highly successíul outcome of workers.
use of deception to secure strikebreakt the struggle. An hour day was won. The In the last few years we have seen the preventing the employment of priv next few years show even more remarkable Alabama militia burning the camps in which armed guards during labor disputes.
strides. On January 1st, 1900, there were the union was housing evicted strikers; such legislation as may be beneficial to 931 local unions and 91, 019 members. In armored cars rushing through West Vir members.
January of 1901 these numbers leaped to ginia coal camps and pouring the terrible 1433 locals and 172, 529 paid up members. hail of Gatling guns into the miners cabins; Unionism was now accepted by miners in 15 Organization the massacre at Ludlow, Colorado, by the states, and practically half the miners of the hired thugs and Rockefeller paid state The general scheme of organization country were within the folds of the militiamen government by inclose resemblance to a political state. although it had not yet touched Colo junction. The echoes of the shrieks of the are national, district, sub district, an rado, Wyoming, North Carolina and a few nineteen helpless women and babes burned ruling bodies. The present jurisdict other states. At this date its main strength in the Ludlow tents on a balmy April mornthe national union covers either con was among the bituminous workers. To ing in 1914 were heard throughout the world, or in part all the coal mining regio realize the phenomenal success of this or and not even the horrors of the world war and Canada. The district u ganization one must consider the con have banished its gory picture from the a particular state, but in some cas ditions faced by the Here was memory of the American proletariat The the product varies in kind or wł ignorance the parent of distrust, in an unIndustrial Relations Committee tells us that (Continued on page 6)
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