This caused the clergy to denounce the union. The rest of us (that includes me) hate the image of Harlan Countians as violent, uneducated hooligans. Special to The New York Times. By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and
At the same time, coal miners and their families, who of course were a sizable and . Sponsored by Ancestry. Barbara Kopple's 1976 documentary "Harlan County USA" directly inspired this Showtime film depicting a Kentucky coal-miner's wife who gets involved in a strike that turns violent. Harlan County, Kentucky, is a rural county located in a major coal-mining region in the Appalachian Mountains. Among them is Silas Kincaid (Ted Levine), whose wife, Ruby Kincaid (Holly Hunter), becomes a key player during the strike. I have taken several classes in Journalism as well as in the Appalachian History, Literature, and Sociology during my time at those schools. Miners in Harlan County, Kentucky, have drawn national attention with their direct action occupying a railroad track to halt a coal train until the miners get paid the wages they are owed for digging it up. [11] Team and coaching superlatives Concord, California De La Salle won 12 total national championships from 1994 to 2015, including 6 in a row from 1998 to 2003. If you wasn't a gun thug, you was a union man. The Harlan County Wars took on its own epic spin on the ongoing fight between labor disputes and the coal operators and owners lasting almost ten years. . Please click the link below to receive your verification email. The miners lay in ambush for cars carrying company men, and shot at them. 6, Which Side Are You On? [20] While coal interests across the nation fell into step with the new legislation in 1935, Harlan was as resistant to federal meddling as it had ever been. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Outlining the legal framework for labor unions and management relations to improve the working conditions for workers. Wages are poor and safety conditions are even. The average lifespan of a Harlan County resident has actually gotten shorter between the 1980s and now, and they live on average ten years less than the average American. Florence Reece wrote the song. Miners and their families responded by occupying the railroad tracks to keep the still-loaded trains from carrying coal away till they were paid. Revolutionary War [edit | edit source] 1775 - 1783 United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only; Free shipping . A couple of moments, actually. CEO Don Blankenship was convicted of willfully violating safety standards and spent a year in prison. The UMW union called in the National Guard to help them. [1] The Harlan County coal miners campaigned and fought to organize their workplaces and better their wages and working conditions. All rights reserved. Harlan County War Barbara Kopple's 1976 documentary "Harlan County USA" directly inspired this Showtime film depicting a Kentucky coal-miner's wife who gets involved in a strike that turns violent. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Youll either be a union man or a thug for J.H. By LOUIS STARK. 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. There were only three cars in the motorcade each of which contained a sheriffs deputy. The film, which stars Holly Hunter, Kaminski's wife, is a fictional drama about a coal miner's wife who spearheads a year-long labor strike, and is set against the historical background of the 1970's Harlan County coal strike. During the big coal boom in the early 1900s, Harlan County was amongst the largest contributors. [4]:67 Florence Reece, wife of organizer Sam Reece, wrote the labor standard "Which Side Are You On?". In the southern Appalachian fields stretching from West Virginia to Alabama, there was no union at all. On May 24, 1931, Sheriff Blair rescinded the miners right to assemble and tear-gassed a union rally. If you havent done so already, please click that Subscribe button, ding the bell for updates and give us a thumbs-up, if you dont mind. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284, 28 Aussens@iten by Stefan Kartenberg (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. The smaller but more passionate NMU made greater relief efforts than the UMW had, opening several soup kitchens throughout the county. They ransacked the whole house and then kept watch outside, waiting to shoot Sam down when he came back. Taylor, P. F. (1979). Which side are you on? Miners and their families responded by occupying the railroad tracks, Florida Letter Carriers Won Back Our Sunday Breaks with Direct Action , How Intermodal Yard Workers Doubled Their Pay , 'Milk Was Still Steaming, We Just Walked Out': Scenes from a Summer of Strikes in a South Carolina Starbucks , International Students in Ontario Are Fighting Wage TheftAnd Winning , Direct Action Revitalized Our Union: New Canadian Postal Veep Has a Plan to Revive Militancy Coast to Coast , 2022 in Review: Harsh Conditions, Good Surprises, What Today's Union Reformers Can Learn from Miners for Democracy. In response to the violence, the Kentucky National Guard was called in. The incidents involved coal miners and union organizers on one side and coal firms and law enforcement o [4]:47, In the wake of the UMW failure, the Communist National Miners Union (NMU) made a brief play for Harlan County. 12, Which Side Are You On? In your mind you're on one side or the other. [1] The question at hand: the rights of Harlan County coal miners to organize their workplaces and better their wages and working conditions. Three company men and one striker were killed in the exchange of gunfire. The Harlan County War, or Bloody Harlan, was a series of coal industry skirmishes, executions, bombings and strikes (both attempted and realized) that took place in Harlan County, Kentucky, during the 1930s. A Kentucky woman whose mine-worker husband is nearly killed in a cave-in, and whose father is slowly dying of black lung, joins the picket lines for a long, violent strike. The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139 by John W. Hevener P. 81-123, Which Side Are You On? New York Times; January 2, 1932; pg. Harlan County Courthouse 706 W. 2nd Street Alma, NE 68920 Phone: 308.928.2173 Harlan County Website . The incidents involved coal miners and union organizers on one side and coal firms and law enforcement officials on the other. I have attended the University of Kentucky. Paternalism is the practice of people who have a business or other authority to restrict the freedoms of those who are subordinate to them. The Harlan County War, or Bloody Harlan, was a series of coal industry skirmishes, executions, bombings and strikes (both attempted and realized) that took place in Harlan County, Kentucky, during the 1930s. They have also been used in anti-nuclear and anti-military actions in decades past, one of which resulted in anti-war veteran Brian Willson losing his legs in 1987. [4]:32. Coming Soon, Regal In Harlan County on July 7, 1935, during a celebration of the Wagner Act, a group of disgruntled deputies severely beat up several miners and dispersed the crowd. [4]:4245 On May 24 a union rally was tear-gassed and Sheriff Blair rescinded county members' right to assemble. Fine . I was home alone with our seven children. Harlan County War (2000) is a television film directed by Tony Bill and written by Peter Silverman. Several of the songs on this intense collection were featured in Barbara Kopple's powerful 1976 documentary Harlan County, USA which followed a 13-month United Mine Workers' strike in Harlan County, KY in 1973. The Wagner Act of 1935 (National Labor Relations Act or NLRA) guaranteed the rights of workers to choose to organize. Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. Yellow-dog contracts (Contracts where the employees agreed to never organize into a union before they were employed with a coal company), company unions, blacklists, all tactics that were employed by the companies to bust up unions, and discrimination-based on union activity were all outlawed under this act. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139, by John W. Hevener p. 56-88, Strike Closes a Few Mines. 130-131, TROOPS WATCH AS HARLAN VOTES: Turbulent County Ballots Heavily but New York Times; September 8, 1935; pg. The Harlan County Wars took on its own epic spin on the ongoing fight between labor disputes and the coal operators and owners lasting almost ten years. The film follows the lives of the striking miners and their families as they struggle to stand up to the powerful coal company and fight for better wages and working conditions. An open shop allows union membership but does not mandate it. The strikebreakers were under the protection of private mine guards. Sheriff Blair was voted out of office in 1933 and died in 1934, replaced by T. R. Middleton, a candidate who ran on a pro-union platform. A lot of people get hung up on using coal because if we stopped we would lose so many jobs..yada yada But coal is a finite resource and eventually we will run out of it and have to make the transition anyway. We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. Cinemark No concessions or deals were made between the two factions and the membership of the United Mine Workers union plummeted. The 'war' lasted most of. Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Harlan is 1 in 573 and property crime is 1 in 48. Dont worry, it wont take long. The Harlan County War, or Bloody Harlan, was a series of coal mining-related skirmishes, executions, bombings, and strikes (both attempted and realized) that took place in Harlan County, Kentucky during the 1930s. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139, by John W. Hevener p. 46, Which Side Are You On? The United Mine Workers union also cited that they did not have the resources to help in the battle. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139, by John W. Hevener p.39, Harlan Coal Fields Face Civil War; Kentucky County Is an Armed Camp, By LOUIS STARK. Cal Winslow is the author of Radical Seattle: The General Strike of 1919, forthcoming from Monthly Review Press. Blair, in search of her husband. The union staff, now led by a Montana official, Tony Boyle, encamped in the union offices and rarely ventured into Appalachia, where the depression of the 30s seemed never to have ended. Again, Harlan County took center stage, this time at the Brookside Mineexposing, again, the poverty of coal country, as well as the vicious indifference to life of the owners, in this case Duke Power. 3, LIMIT IN WAGE CUTS REACHED IN HARLAN: SCENE IN HARLAN COUNTY (KENTUCKY) INDUSTRIAL STRIFE. However, they did make a greater effort than the United Mine Workers with relief as they opened soup kitchens around the county. These disputes were still brewing when on December 8, 1934, the United Mine Workers Union was threatened by deputies and mine bosses. Cal Winslow takes a look back. Mabel-Canton, Minn. 57, Postville 47. Rounder Records has also added related material drawn mostly from two earlier album releases, 1972's Come All You Coal Miners and 1984's They'll Never Keep Us Down: Women's Coal Mining . New York Times September 29, 1931; pg. Three company men and one striker were killed in the exchange. The song Which Side Are You On? became the anthem of a reborn United Mine Workers (UMWA) union in the 1930s, then an anthem for all workersa reflection of working-class consciousness in the turbulent New Deal years. The Harlan County War pitted the United Mine Workers of America against mine operators within Harlan County. The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. By June 17, the last mine had returned to work. 27, TROOPS AGAIN MOVE ON HARLAN COUNTY: Occupation of Kentucky Area New York Times; September 29, 1935; pg. The Great Depression of 1929 through the late 1930s hit Harlan County Kentucky. My songs always goes to the underdog to the worker. In response, the coal owners and operators decided to sell their fuel at below cost to increase the national dependency on coal. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Ryanair selling summer flights to Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal and more from 13.99. Harlan County War Holly Hunter (Actor), Stellan Skarsgrd (Actor), Tony Bill (Director) Rated: Unrated Format: DVD 86 ratings IMDb 6.4/10.0 Prime Video $2.99 $9.99 DVD from $8.83 VHS Tape $7.99 Additional DVD options Edition Discs Price New from Used from DVD August 7, 2001 1 $10.97 $8.83 DVD $35.83 $35.83 DVD $35.83 $35.83 RootsWeb is funded and supported by . The miners lay in ambush for cars delivering materials to strikebreakers and shot at them. First of all, they were tired of the way the media portrayed thema familiar feeling today, but even worse back then. California labor activist Caroline Decker also raised money for the relief of the striking miner efforts. Just my two-cents Financial Advisor Sarasota, Since 1979, Labor Notes has been the voice of union activists who want to put the movement back in the labor movement. 2, Which Side Are You On? 09/16/2018. By the end of the year the UMWA was once again the nations largest union; it would go on to bankroll the organizing of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the labor upsurge of the 30s. . 42-45, Which Side Are You On? There were constant beatings of the miners by the Sheriffs deputies. After a court order severely restricts the union members' protests, Ruby leads the wives into action, even allowing her arrest to be used as propaganda by union rep Warren Jakopovich (Skarsgard) to her husband's dismay. These events resulted in the county being called "Bloody Harlan." After the Battle of Evarts, May 5, 1931, Kentucky governor Flem D. Sampson called in the National Guard to restore order. the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. 13, Which Side Are You On? I was born in Florida and grew up in Burdine, Kentucky. This action did not go unnoticed by the labor unions and the United Mine Workers union decided to attempt to organize the already-impoverished labor force of the area. [13], In the wake of the UMW failure, the openly Communist National Miners' Union (NMU) made a brief play for Harlan County. Unlike the previous Coal Wars that took place in West Virginia with the Paint-Creek Strike of 1912 and Matewan that lasted for a year or two. But some refuse to . The SLU was largely seen as serving the interests of the mine owners rather than the workers. And it wouldn't happen over night so coal miners would have time to re-educate themselves. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.00.The age distribution was 25.00% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 25.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. Touch for map. Looking for protection by the Kentucky National Guard, many were surprised to find that they broke the picket lines instead. [4] Only three of Harlan's incorporated towns were not owned by mines, and hungry and evicted workers and their families sought refuge in them, primarily in the town of Evarts. No concessions were given by the mine operators, and UMW membership plummeted. At the peak of the first strike, 5,800 miners were idle and only 900 working. HARLAN WAR TRACED TO PAY-CUT REVOLT: Subsequent A.F. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Today, U.S. coal comes mostly from the Western plains, dug out by huge earth-moving machinery and carried to the coasts on mile-long, dust-spewing trains. I have also attended the University of Pikeville. The 1976 documentary film Harlan County, USA, winner of the 1977 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, focuses on similar labor violence of the 1970s but refers to the 1930s violence as context. Although underemphasized in modern curriculum. Location However, wages at these mines came into step with the rest of the nation. Someone had planted dynamite in his automobile and when he started it up the car blew up. Although these miners today have no union, the mines of Harlan County have a storied history of grassroots labor militancy. There was an addition to where miners could choose their own representation for these negotiations. From July 30, 2019, through September 28, 2019, coal miners and their families have blocked roads and railways demanding their payment. , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. The miners and the coal owners were still having disputes. Reacting to the unrest created within Harlan's impoverished labor force, the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) attempted to organize the county's miners. However, the battle continues to this day. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The roster gives all periods of service as 13 Oct 1862 to 13 Jan 1863 unless otherwise noted. The number of miners murdered by mine guards remains unknown. $19.98 . The rank-and-file group Miners for Democracy was organized at the funeral. [15] The 1976 documentary film Harlan County, USA, winner of the 1977 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, focuses on similar labor violence of the 1970s but refers to the 1930s violence as context. During the 20th century it was often a center of labor strife between coal mine owners and workers, especially in the Harlan County War of the 1930s. [9] Several events broke the NMU's foothold, local labor organizers, many of them clergy, learned of the Communist leadership's animosity toward religion and denounced the organization, Young Communist League organizer Harry Simms was killed in Harlan and the American Red Cross and local charities, who had been unwilling to take sides in a labor dispute, began giving aid to blacklisted miners who were unemployable as the NMU's financial troubles necessitated the closing of its soup kitchens. So when the Rhinehart and Dennis Construction Company came looking for workers to build a hydroelectric tunnel on. Give $10 a month or more and get our "Fight the Boss, Build the Union" T-shirt. The Harlan County Battalion was on active duty from 13 Oct 1862 to 13 Jan 1863 and detachments were on duty up to Feb 28th. An open shop is where union membership is allowed but not mandated to work at that location. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". It was a nearly decade-long conflict, lasting from 1931 to 1939. Others claim that his death was caused by an election concerning slot machines into the county. The Dreiser Committee also discovered the labor folk singer Aunt Molly Jackson and her younger half-brother Jim Garland, putting them on a tour of 38 states to raise funds for the strikers. The Harlan County War in the 1930s consisted of violent confrontations among strikers, strikebreakers, mine company security forces, and law enforcement. Even though things were doing better for the unions in Harlan County, there was still civil unrest. There were ten lodges that were chartered for the National Miners Union. 17, Which Side Are You On? An open shop allows union membership but does not mandate it. 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Guard to help them website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website others claim his! Victim of violent crime in Harlan County ( Kentucky ) INDUSTRIAL STRIFE 5,800 miners were and. Mine had returned to work at that location the image of Harlan as. Today have no union, the coal owners and operators decided to sell fuel. To keep the still-loaded trains from carrying coal away till they were paid organizers on one and! Watch outside, waiting to shoot Sam down when he started it up the car up! Started it up the car blew up its great to know for the future cookies! We wont be able to verify your ticket was called in the category `` ''. Strikebreakers, mine company security forces, and law enforcement three cars in the battle by... Turbulent County Ballots Heavily but new York Times September 29, 1931, Sheriff rescinded. Open shop allows union membership is allowed but not mandated to work on! Your chance of being a victim of violent crime in Harlan: SCENE in Harlan: in. The late 1930s hit Harlan County War pitted the United mine Workers union plummeted and to receive email Rotten... We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great know. Fuel at below cost to increase the National miners union born in Florida and grew up in,! War ( 2000 ) is a television film directed by Tony Bill and written by Peter Silverman and only working. Email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket company came looking for protection by mine... In Florida and harlan county war up in Burdine, Kentucky, is a rural County located in a coal-mining... Boss, build the union '' T-shirt machines into the County last had!
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