Anthracite coal strike of 1902

Coal strike of 1902 (Anthracite coal strike)
John Mitchell, President of the UMWA, arriving in Shenandoah surrounded by a crowd of breaker boys.
Date	May 12 – October 23, 1902
Location	Pennsylvania, United States
Goals	Eight-hour workday, higher wages, and union recognition
Methods	Striking
Resulted in	Nine-hour workday (reduced from ten) wage increase of 10% first strike settled by federal arbitration
Parties
United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Mine workers Anthracite coal operators Reading Railroad Coal and Iron Police Strikebreakers Penn. National Guard
Lead figures
John Mitchell President of UMWA George Baer President of Reading Railroad/ Speaker for coal operators J.P. Morgan Owner of Reading Railroad Samuel W. Pennypacker Governor of Pennsylvania
Number
100,000+
Settlement arbitrated by Theodore Roosevelt's administration

The Coal strike of 1902 (also known as the anthracite coal strike)^[1][2] was a strike by the United Mine Workers of America in the anthracite coalfields of eastern Pennsylvania. Miners struck for higher wages, shorter workdays, and the recognition of their union. The strike threatened to shut down the winter fuel supply to major American cities. At that time, residences were typically heated with anthracite or "hard" coal, which produces higher heat value and less smoke than "soft" or bituminous coal.

The strike never resumed, as the miners received a 10 percent wage increase and reduced workdays from ten to nine 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 dispute in which the U.S. federal government and President Theodore Roosevelt intervened as a neutral arbitrator.^{[citation needed]}