United States 1897

Synopsis

In 1890 the United Mine Workers of America (UMW), an affiliate of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), formed in Columbus, Ohio. At that time coal miners around the United States labored in horrendous working conditions. Few miners were represented by labor unions, and because of that the coal owners and operators took advantage of the power they held over the miners. The UMW was a weak and ineffective union during its first six years of existence. On 4 July 1897, however, that situation changed when the union began a national strike of bituminous coal miners in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and western Pennsylvania. The successful actions of that strike prompted growth from less than 10,000 members to a strong and powerful union with more than 100,000 members. At this time the UMW-AFL became the largest union in the United States. For the miners, it meant a...