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.
DateMay 12 – October 23, 1902
Location
GoalsEight-hour workday, higher wages,
and union recognition
MethodsStriking
Resulted inNine-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]

  1. ^ "The Great Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902". Archived from the original on 2008-06-21. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
  2. ^ "The Pennsylvania Center for the Book - Great Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902". Archived from the original on 2013-05-15. Retrieved 2012-06-16.