Westmoreland County coal strike of 1910–1911 facts for kids

The Westmoreland County coal strike of 1910–1911 was a big protest by coal miners in Pennsylvania. It is also called the Westmoreland coal miners' strike. The miners were part of a group called the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). Many of the miners, about 70 percent, were from Slovak families, so it was also known as the Slovak Strike.

The strike started on March 9, 1910, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. It lasted for over a year, ending on July 1, 1911. At its peak, 15,000 miners from 65 mines stopped working. Sadly, 16 people died during the strike. Most of them were striking miners or their family members. In the end, the miners' union did not win their main goals.

Why the Miners Went on Strike

The strike happened in an area of Westmoreland County known for its coal. This coal was used to make gas. Several large companies controlled most of the coal mining here. These companies often owned the towns where miners lived. They had their own stores where miners had to buy things. Miners were sometimes paid with special money, called "company scrip," that could only be used at these company stores.

Miners' Demands

After 1900, miners wanted better pay and safer working conditions. They asked for an eight-hour day, meaning they would only work eight hours a day. They also wanted to be paid as much as miners in nearby areas. Miners were paid by how much coal they dug. They wanted to make sure they were paid fairly for all the coal they mined. They also wanted pay for other hard tasks, like laying tracks or removing rocks.

Company Resistance

The coal companies did not want to meet the miners' demands. They also did not want the miners to form a union. The companies used their own police, called the Coal and Iron Police, to scare or hurt miners who supported the union. Workers were fired, and families were kicked out of their homes if miners went on strike.

The situation got worse in 1910. The companies cut miners' wages by 16 percent. This meant miners earned less money for the same amount of work. Then, one company, Keystone Coal and Coke, said miners had to buy new safety lights and explosives themselves. This was the final straw for the miners.

The Strike Begins

Miners in Westmoreland County had tried to form unions before, but it was hard. In February 1910, after the wage cuts and new costs, miners at Keystone Coal and Coke decided to act. They invited the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) to help them form a union.

On March 7, 1910, a UMWA leader named Van Bittner arrived. Four hundred miners quickly joined the union. Keystone Coal and Coke immediately fired 100 miners for joining. In response, the Keystone miners walked off the job. The strike quickly spread to other mines in the area.

Union Recognition and Tent Cities

The main goal of the strike became getting the companies to recognize the union. The miners believed if the union was recognized, their other demands would be easier to win.

When the miners went on strike, thousands of families were forced out of their company-owned homes. The UMWA spent a lot of money to buy tents and build small shelters. They set up 25 "tent cities" for the homeless families. Near the town of Export, over 100 tents were put up, making it the largest tent city.

Working Together

At first, there were some tensions between different groups of miners. Most of the striking miners were Slovak, but the strike leaders were often from English, German, or Irish backgrounds. UMWA organizers like Van Bittner and Frank Hayes worked hard to bring everyone together. They hired organizers who spoke different languages. Each ethnic group chose its own leaders. Parades and rallies included music and speakers from all groups.

Many local people supported the strike. Religious leaders signed petitions and asked the government to help the workers. However, the national UMWA leadership was not always fully supportive at first. But eventually, the union gave over $1 million to help the striking miners.

Challenges During the Strike

The coal companies tried hard to stop the strike and break the union.

Strikebreakers

The companies started bringing in thousands of new workers, called "strikebreakers," from Eastern Europe. Company representatives on the East Coast promised these immigrants jobs and homes. They even paid for them to move to Pennsylvania. Many of these new workers did not know they were being hired to replace striking miners.

The companies often took advantage of these strikebreakers. They hired people who did not speak English well. If workers tried to quit, the Coal and Iron Police would stop them. They were told they had to work off the cost of their travel before they could leave. Sometimes, police would beat workers who tried to leave. Fences were even built around housing to keep workers from leaving. The way strikebreakers were treated was so bad that the U.S. government looked into whether people were being forced to work against their will.

Legal Actions Against Strikers

Employers also used the courts. In April 1910, Keystone Coal and Coke got a court order, called an injunction. This order stopped striking miners from going near company property. It even stopped them from gathering on public roads near the mines. The order was very broad, and police arrested miners even far from the company's land. Other coal companies quickly got similar orders.

The companies also used their power in other ways. The Coal and Iron Police stopped union members from entering company property. Miners were arrested for using public roads that crossed company land. In some towns, people needed a pass from the mine manager just to leave the village. Union members were even stopped from using post offices or courthouses if they were on company property. Nearly 1,000 miners were arrested for small offenses like trespassing.

Security Forces and Violence

Employers also used force to scare striking miners. They used the Coal and Iron Police, local police, and the Pennsylvania State Police.

• The Coal and Iron Police mostly guarded company property and kept strikebreakers from leaving.
• Sheriff's deputies were also a problem. Coal companies paid the local sheriff to provide deputies to protect their property. These deputies were paid by the companies, even though they were supposed to be law enforcement. Some deputies were involved in violent incidents.
• The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) were the most violent group. They were created to help with law enforcement, but they often broke the law themselves. One trooper said they would "ride in, scoop them up and beat hell out of them."

Many people reported that the State Police used violence without reason. They would ride horses into crowds, hurting men, women, and children. They often beat people with their fists and clubs. They would break into homes without permission and beat people. Local police said the State Police beat people for no reason and resisted local efforts to stop them. State Police troopers even shot guns into towns and into tent cities.

During the strike, 6 striking miners, 9 wives of striking miners, and 1 bystander were killed. Thousands of strikers and their families were badly beaten or hurt.

The End of the Strike

By mid-1911, the strike was hard on the coal companies. They had spent a lot of money on security, and coal production had dropped. But the larger companies had enough money saved to get through it.

However, the miners and their families were suffering much more. The winter of 1910–11 was very cold. The union built shacks to help families get out of tents, but there were not enough. About 400 families spent the whole winter in tents. Many families faced hunger and sickness.

In early 1911, the UMWA seemed to be strongly supporting the strike. A new president, John P. White, took over and fully backed the miners.

But just six months later, the UMWA had to stop the strike. They had spent over $1 million helping the miners, and they simply ran out of money. On July 1, 1911, the UMWA decided to end the strike. Most miners went back to work. However, about 400 miners were put on a blacklist, meaning they could not get jobs in Pennsylvania. They had to find work somewhere else.

Women's Role in the Strike

The Westmoreland County strike also saw a famous event involving Mary Harris Jones, known as "Mother Jones." Even at 73 years old, Mother Jones came to support the miners.

The Singing Women

In the summer of 1910, some miners' wives were arrested. They had been bothering strikebreakers and company security.

Mother Jones told the women to bring their babies and young children when they went to court. The judge told the women they had to pay a $30 fine or go to jail for 30 days. The women could not pay, so they were jailed. Since there was no one else to care for the children, the judge had to jail the children with their mothers.

While the women were being processed for jail, Mother Jones gave them instructions. She told them: "You sing the whole night long. You can take turns if you get tired. Sleep all day and sing all night. Say you're singing to the babies."

The jail was right next to the sheriff's home and other buildings. The sound of women singing all night kept most of the town awake. After five sleepless nights, the townspeople demanded that the judge let the women go. He did. This event became known as "the women who sang their way out of jail."