Why do they call Harlan Kentucky Bloody Harlan?
Bloody Harlan. The name comes from the nearly century-long and sometimes violent struggle between coal companies and workers seeking to unionize. “Harlan is one of the locations used to undercut wage stability for the rest of the country,” Northern Illinois Univ. labor historian Rosemary Feurer said.
How did Harlan County strike end?
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (UPI) —Striking mine workers and the Eastover Mining Company reached agreement today to end a 13‐month strike that had caused one death and economic hardship to the communities of Harlan County, Ky.
Did the Harlan County strike succeed?
After a month of negotiations with no success, the 180 miners walked off the job and began what would be a 13-month-long strike on 26 July 1973. The main goal of the strike was the right of the workers to form a union as part of the UMWA. Eastover also hired prisoners to ‘provide security’ in and around the mine.
How many people died in the Harlan County strike?
In fact Harlan’s Depression-era struggle turned out to be one of the most bitter and protracted labor disputes in American history. The decade-long conflict between miners and the coal operators who adamantly resisted unionization was violent– miners (13) and gun thugs lost their lives.
What happened to Bill Bruner Harlan County?
A spokesman for the Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital said Mr. Bruner, who was shot with a pistol, was “not nearly as badly hurt as Mr. Jones.” Bernie Aronson, assistant to the president of the U.M.W., said the shooting took place at about 5:30 P.M. at Jones Creek, near Verda, Ky.
Where are the coal mines in Kentucky?
Muhlenberg County
1971 Kentucky becomes the leading coal producer in the United States, with surface mines in Muhlenberg County leading the state. Surface production becomes Kentucky’s primary means of coal production, led by large surface mines in Muhlenberg County in Western Kentucky.
What happened to Lawrence Jones wife Harlan County?
Married Diana Jones on They were married Nov. 5, 1973. Murdered while on a picket line in Harlan County KY, After his death an agreement was signed between the miners and the union!…Lawrence Dean Jones.
| Birth | 27 Aug 1950 Harlan County, Kentucky, USA |
|---|---|
| Death | 28 Aug 1974 (aged 24) Harlan County, Kentucky, USA |
Who wrote the song Which Side Are You On?
Florence Reece
Darryl Holter
Which Side Are You On?/Lyricists
Florence Reece wrote the song “Which Side Are You On?” during the violent conflict between miners and coal operators in Harlan County, Kentucky in the early 1930s. Reece reportedly drafted the lyrics after her husband, a union organizer, narrowly avoided being captured by armed men hired by the coal company.
What caused the Harlan County strike of 1931?
On February 16, 1931, in order to prevent operating at a loss, the Harlan County Coal Operators’ Association cut miners’ wages by 10%. Reacting to the unrest created within Harlan’s already-impoverished labor force, the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) attempted to organize the county’s miners.
Why did Harlan’s coal miners go on strike?
In 1973, Harlan’s coalminers went on strike for 13 months when contract negotiations with Duke Power Company broke down after miners voted to form a union.
Why are miners occupying a railroad track in Kentucky?
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. Although these miners today have no union, the mines of Harlan County have a storied history of grassroots labor militancy.
Do Harlan County Miners have a union?
Although these miners today have no union, the mines of Harlan County have a storied history of grassroots labor militancy. Cal Winslow takes a look back. –Editor Which side are you on?