Coal strike of 1902
The Coal strike of 1902, also known as the anthracite coal strike, was a strike by the United Mine Workers of America in the anthracite coal fields of eastern Pennsylvania. Miners were on strike asking for higher wages, shorter workdays and the recognition of their union. The strike threatened to shut down the winter fuel supply to all major cities (homes and apartments were heated with anthracite or "hard" coal because it had higher heat value and less smoke than "soft" or bituminous coal). President Theodore Roosevelt became involved and set up a fact-finding commission that suspended the strike. The strike never resumed, as the miners received more pay for fewer hours; the owners got a higher price for coal, and did not recognize the trade union as a bargaining agent. It was the first labor episode in which the federal government intervened as a neutral arbitrator.
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American History USA Articles
- Teddy Roosevelt and the Coal Strike of 1902: A New Era in Labor and Government
The actions of Teddy Roosevelt in the Coal Strike of 1902 set a new tone in labor-government relations. This became a centerpiece of Roosevelt's progressive reputation in the coming years
Books/Sources
- A Trooper's Narrative Of Service In The Anthracite Coal Strike, 1902 - Stewart Culin
- Report to the President on the Anthracite Coal Strike of May-October, 1902: An entry from Gale's American Decades...