A third generation coal operator, he served as President of the Harlan County Coal Operators and the Harlan Mining Institute, as Vice President of the Kentucky Coal Association and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Associated Industries of Kentucky. "If we could monitor these inspections, perhaps we could cut down on the fatalities," he says. "The personal is political" was a rallying cry of second wave feminism. He says that negotiations were broken off on November 28, 1973, because of the miners' insistence on the full terms of the standard UMW contract. Looking for protection by the Kentucky National Guard, many were surprised to find that they broke the picket lines instead. Is that the only objection that is holding up a settlement? In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to . After breakfast, we travel fifteen miles east to Evarts. They lobby in Frankfort and Washington and sponsor an annual "Coal Miners Day" to try to get more high school students interested in mining engineering. The Brookside mine is capable of producing only about a half-million tons of the 15 million tons of coal Duke uses each year. It was Miller who defeated W. A. The miners say that all of the strikers have been blacklisted by the Association. Harlan County Coal Operators' Association. When filmmaker Barbara Kopple traveled to Harlan County, Kentucky, the resulting Academy award-winning documentary, Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) captured a historic story. Harlan, city, seat of Harlan county, southeastern Kentucky, U.S., in the Cumberland Mountains, on the Clover Fork Cumberland River. We look back on the film, which screens this Sunday, February . But will Norman Yarborough ever agree to recognize the UMW? On May 5, 1931 the pot boiled over; in Harlan County Kentucky, heavily armed deputies and company men, called "gun thugs" by miners, confronted disgruntled union men on a road near Evarts. The county was once part of Knox County, only becoming official in 1819. . The decrease in wages, unemployment, and irregular employment caused "poverty, hunger, and disease.". Several folk singers and other artists toured the United States to raise money during the strikes. Typical of counties with low income, counties where the mine companies own everything and pay low taxes, our UMW driver says. Overturned car bodies everywhere. Only to be escorted to the county line and told not to return. This active organization is made up of those who represent the leader in the mining industry. She doesn't know where she will go when the camp is closed. We gather back in Evarts and announce that our report will be ready in two or three weeks. Figure 2: Harlan County Coal Mine Employment, 2000-2016, (KYEEC, 2017) In 1942, shortly after Harlan County experienced record high coal mine employment, the county experienced is highest production levels with 15.6 million tons of coal being produced in this year (KYEEC, 2017). The sign man for R C Cola has worked this territory well. Strike benefits are $100 weekly for a family, $90 for a couple, and $80 for a single man. This law was enacted to try to reverse the hardships to those who were out of a job because of the economic collapse of the Great Depression. During the rest of the afternoon, the miners talk about what has happened on the picket line and in the local court. An open shop is where union membership is allowed but not mandated to work at that location. The UMW had made written proposals for compromising these issues a little. The accident was the second worst mine fatality in the history of Harlan County coal mining, the worst being Harlan Fuel Company . And I can't get you off of that couch. These disputes were still brewing when on December 8, 1934, the United Mine Workers Union was threatened by deputies and mine bosses. Sudie Crusenberg, a plain woman in a cotton dress, gives us some idea of what life is like for a coal-mining family. My man was mashed up in the mines. But negotiations for a contract with Eastover soon broke down, and on July 30 the miners at Brookside began the strike that now, as we arrive, is in its eighth month. Burger Chef. It reports that "Piedmont" is an adjective derived.from Italian words that literally mean "formed at the foot of the mountains." Harlan County Coal Operators' Association. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. In the throes of the Great Depression, Harlan County coal owners and operators, in an effort to expand national dependency on their fuel, chose to sell below cost. Most of the land is owned by the mining companies. Pricing; Switch; Big firm; safety director for the Harlan County Coal Operators Association; Moss Paterson, chief of the State Bureau of Mines and Minerals, and State and Federal mine inspectors. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Those with running water rent for around $20 a month, plus electricity. The motorcade stopped and the deputies got out of their cars to return fire. The women are nervous about testifying, afraid of retaliation. Their activities began with a demonstration and march in Harlan on September 27, 1973. "Then he'd come out looking like a sheep-killing dog and get in his truck and run. But, I say, even without further investigation of each of the complaints, it is possible to conclude that fear is an everyday part of the miners' lives. Coal employment in Harlan county dropped 53.7% in the second quarter of this year compared with last year, driven by Blackjewel's bankruptcy. I've got five living children and four dead. America in the Harlan County Mine Wars, 1931-1939 Carletta A. Bush Early accounts of the Harlan County mine wars place the inability of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) to establish a permanent foothold in the county, first at the feet of of the Harlan County Coal Operators Association (HCCOA) and secondly at Captain James Cromer of the state police later tells news reporters, "The women are a problem. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Si has signed on as head of the staff for the Citizens Inquiry, which is funded with a five-thousanddollar grant from the Field Foundation. Abstract. At Brookside, this would amount to $400,000 a year. I've talked to Norman Yarborough, and you ain't bringing no union down here. Troops had to be called into the county three times to maintain order. or smaller. ("Tony") Boyle for the national presidency of the UMW in 1972 in an election closely supervised by the federal government. When a miner complains, Jerry Johnson says, the foreman says, "If you don't like it, you can always get your bucket," meaning pick up your lunch bucket and get out. In the year of "the energy crisis," Coal is King again at $30 a ton. Since the county began mining, over one billion tons of coal have The Benham Coal Company records (151 cubic feet, 302 Boxes; dated 1911-1973) focus primarily on the early years of Benham Coal through the 1940s. The radical ideology of the union began gaining some ground in the mountains. (Brookside) were the only two mines of the Harlan County owner/operators association who rejected a 10% pay increase in 1933. [videorecording] Contributor(s): Kopple, Barbara; First-Run Features (Firm) Cabin Creek Films; Publication details: New York : First Run Features, 1976. . Blaine Sergent, coal leader, putting up his check at the end of a workday in Harlan County, Kentucky, in 1946. Battle of Evartshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Evarts, National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/new-deal/national-industrial-recovery-act-of-1933/, Battle of Evartshttps://pipiwiki.com/wiki/Battle_of_Evarts, Battle of Evartshttps://wiki2.org/en/Battle_of_Evarts, Harlan County Warhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_County_War, A Brief History of Harlan County, USAhttps://labornotes.org/blogs/2019/08/brief-history-harlan-county-usa, Harlan County Warhttps://everipedia.org/Harlan_County_War, https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/coal-strike/background-coal-strike, https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/coal-strike/local-elite, https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/coal-strike/new-york-writers, https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/coal-strike/national-miners-union-and-other-radical-groups, The Wagner Act of 1935 (National Labor Relations Act)https://www.thebalancecareers.com/the-wagner-act-of-1935-national-labor-relations-act-2060509#:~:text=%20The%20Wagner%20Act%20defines%20and%20prohibits%20five,or%20administration%20of%20a%20labor%20organization.%20More%20, BOMB IN AUTO KILLS KENTUCKY OFFICIAL; Harlan County Attorney Predicted Assassination for Backing Troops in Election.https://www.nytimes.com/1935/09/05/archives/bomb-in-auto-kills-kentucky-official-harlan-county-attorney.html#:~:text=HARLAN%2C%20Ky.%2C%20Sept.%204%20%28AP%29.%20%20The%20death,his%20automobile.%20View%20Full%20Article%20in%20Timesmachine%20%C2%BB, Elmon Clay Middleton https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70804679/elmon-clay-middleton, KENTUCKY HOLDS FOUR IN AUTO BOMB KILLING; Harlan Prosecutors Death Is Laid to His Fight Against Slot Machines.https://www.nytimes.com/1935/09/06/archives/kentucky-holds-four-in-auto-bomb-killing-harlan-prosecutors-death.html, Blackjewel Bankruptcy Leaves Damaged Lands and Miners Compensation in Limbo, https://ohiovalleyresource.org/2021/03/22/blackjewel-bankruptcy-finalized/, This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/?fbclid=IwAR21nYphw4Dul-_EwuAmSWgzsvPLNwsMM0FtV75j0y-mGUHq-lCZjJxZot8, For more about us, you can visit our Facebook at:https://www.facebook.com/kytnliving, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs0oV5gFzIS2JdMJ3HvTOgA, When we forget our past and who we are as a people, then we become who they say we are. Killed - 12. Destitute miners were in no position to take a 2 wage cut; yet, in February of 1931 the newest in a long series of wage cuts occurred, reducing miners' weekly pay by 10 percent. The latest unrest in Harlan County came when in July of 2019, Black jewel LLC filed for bankruptcy and liquidation. Some of the women went to jail with the men, and some took their children with them. It is an area of Kentucky that you only go to if you are intentionally going to the county. Three of the federal reports state that there was no safety committee at Brookside, as required by law. On May 24, 1931, Sheriff Blair rescinded the miners right to assemble and tear-gassed a union rally. Outlining the legal framework for labor unions and management relations to improve the working conditions for workers. They are neatly and attractively dressed. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". In Harlan County, Kentucky, are some of our country's richest natural resourcesand some of its poorest people. The distance a miner had to walk and how time was looked at was in 15-minute increments. Segment Synopsis: Lois Scott continues her conversation from her previous interview. No wonder R C Cola has so many signs everywhere. On Jan. 25, 1890, a new union, the United Mine Workers of America, was formed, and in 1903 its young president, John Mitchell, led the union on a successful 24-week strike. Our driver points out Norman Yarborough's two-story frame house, across the highway from the camp and up out of the river bottom. The Harlan County coal miners campaigned and fought to organize their workplaces and better their wages and working conditions. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Why is garbage left on the roadway? Duke Power Company appears to be the key to breaking the deadlock in negotiations. Jacqueline Brophy is the daughter of Pat Brophy, who went into the mines when he was twelve, and who, in 1926, ran against John L. Lewis and lost. She talks about hiding behind cars on the picket line for protection from the "gun thugs." She talks about a standoff against Basil Collins and the scabs and gun thugs. No help came to those that were in starving situations due to no money to spend on food and no admittance to the company store unless they were gainfully employed by the coal mine. Each of us makes a statement. The company will probably demand a new election. They just laughed about it, and we kept on cuttin' coal. In America, the word describes a region, including Harlan County, Kentucky, between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic coast. In response to the violence, the Kentucky National Guard was called upon and arrived for the first time in the county to try to stem the violence. I have an Associates Degree from Hazard Community College and Technical School. The unemployment rate in the county is 7 percent; that doesn't count those who have long since given up looking for the scarce or nonexistent jobs. A Committee was formed and conducted by Activist Theodore Dreiser under the auspices of the National Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners (NCDPP). "I don't try to blacklist anybody," he says. Yarborough is tough and unyielding. One of the Deputies was Jim Daniels. I'm standing at 2800 feet above sea level. Steeped in Appalachian culture and surrounded by the influence of coal, Harlan County has amassed an interesting reputation and national attention with rest of the world. He hopes the other side will do the same. Sadly, the state and federal troops would occupy the county several times. The UMW union called in the National Guard to help them. An organic shape, small and shiny and pinkish white, sits . Biographical History . The Harlan County Coal Operators Association, still functioning today, spent nearly a half million dollars from 1927 to 1938 to combat unionism, most of it going to pay strongarm men to terrorize . They are merely a service organization, Yarborough says. Mostly, the miners were fighting for improved working conditions, higher wages, and better housing options for their families. Conflict broke out again the 1970s in what was known as the Brookside strike. Cite. No, Yarborough says; it just serves as a central clearing house, so that job applicants won't have to go around and apply at each of the mines separately. As correspondent Bob Simon reports, 47 miners died, six of them from just one county in eastern Kentucky . Willard Wirtz says that it is important to remember that one side of the dispute felt confident enough about their case to arrange to spread it before the widest possible audience. Bright yellow forsythia has begun to bloom in the yards of Harlan and Brookside and Evarts.