Image taken from 1937 federal court records at the National Archives in Chicago. 34 members of the Progressive Miners and 2 others were convicted of interfering with the U.S. mail and conspiracy to violate the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
Writing for the In These Times blog, Working, contributing editor Kari Lyderson was kind enough to highlight this project. After you read the post, don’t forget to check out Kari’s latest book, Revolt On Goose Island. The book documents the successful struggle of UE members employed by Republic Windows and Doors to win a settlement […]
On November 13, 1909, a fire broke out at the Cherry Mine in northern Illinois. Of the 450 miners working underground, 259 men and boys succumbed to flames and smoke. The labor force was predominantly composed of immigrant workers. As with most industrial accidents, the Cherry Mine disaster was avoidable. The calamity inspired public outrage, […]
I was saddened to learn of the passing of John Sigler on October 16. In addition to being featured in the upcoming documentary, John was a great supporter and resource for this project. You might recall that John’s father Joe, was killed in the mine war in 1934. My condolences to John’s family for their […]
Lewis Grave Map I recently visited Lewis grave accompanied by UMWA retiree, Larry Wilson, a long-time resident of Springfield who was unaware that Lewis was buried there. While the Mother Jones Monument in the tiny town of Mt. Olive is internationally renown, the location of John L. Lewis’ grave site is relatively obscure. The lack […]
There have been some promising developments in the struggle to protect Blair Mountain and suspend mountaintop mining in the Appalachian Mountains. You can learn more about the historical importance of Blair Mountain by clicking here. On Tuesday, March 24, Ilovemountains.org reported: “the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would suspend and review permits for two mountaintop […]