There were ten lodges that were chartered for the National Miners Union. In June of 1973, workers at the Brookside coal mine in Harlan County, Kentucky voted 113-55 to replace their membership in the Southern Labor Union (SLU) and join the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) union. John Henry "J.H." Blair (1879 - 1934) was the sherrif of Harlan County, Kentucky during the Harlan County War, which was a series of coal mining-related skirmishes, executions, bombings, and strikes (both attempted and realized) that took place in Harlan County, Kentucky during the 1930s. Sheriff Blair was voted out of his office in 1933 and died just a year later. Troops had to be called into the county three times to maintain order. The authetic music of Appallachia aids considerably to this must-see film. 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. Director Barbara Kopple Stars John L. Lewis (archive footage) Carl Horn Sadly, the state and federal troops would occupy the county several times. Lastminute.com currently has Malta and Cyprus holidays from 95 - including flights. [1] Melcher-Dallas 53, Diagonal 51, OT The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". (Florence Reece appears in the film.) The strikers expected protection, but upon replacing deputized mine guards, the National Guard broke the picket lines instead. The Harlan County Public Schools Police Department saw its first six officers sworn in last week, as the new department is set to begin serving the district. [9] Several events broke the NMU's foothold, local labor organizers, many of them clergy, learned of the Communist leadership's animosity toward religion and denounced the organization, Young Communist League organizer Harry Simms was killed in Harlan and the American Red Cross and local charities, who had been unwilling to take sides in a labor dispute, began giving aid to blacklisted miners who were unemployable as the NMU's financial troubles necessitated the closing of its soup kitchens. Spread the loveIn 1929 there were textile strikes going on across the southeastern U. S., including at the two mills located in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Family Members. Miners and their families responded by occupying the railroad tracks to keep the still-loaded trains from carrying coal away till they were paid. The Harlan County Wars took on its own epic spin on the ongoing fight between labor disputes and the coal operators and owners lasting almost ten years. to an old Baptist hymn, 'Lay the Lily Low'. [4]:46 The strikebreakers were protected by private mine guards with full county deputy privileges, who were legally able to exercise their powers with impunity outside the walls of their employers. New York Times; May 12, 1934 pg. [25] Also, during the strike Florence Reece, wife of organizer Sam Reece, wrote the labor standard "Which Side Are You On? The Wagner Act of 1935 (National Labor Relations Act or NLRA) guaranteed the rights of workers to choose to organize. [20] While coal interests across the nation fell into step with the new legislation in 1935, Harlan was as resistant to federal meddling as it had ever been. Although these miners today have no union, the mines of Harlan County have a storied history of grassroots labor militancy. The question is back: Which Side Are You On?. I have been married to David W. Sergent since May 4, 2013. Striking miners in the coalfields of southern West Virginia forced the Republican governor to sign a bill that allowed compensation for black lung disease. A UMWA organizer who welcomed us displayed a revolver on the dashboard of his car. Still, there is a spirit that lives in Harlan, along with the ghosts of battles past. The Harlan County Coal Wars 1931-1939 (Complete video) Kentucky Tennessee Living 2.32K subscribers Subscribe 260 Share 9.1K views 1 year ago The Harlan County Coal Wars 1931-1939 We return. "[22][23] He protected the miners despite the fact that a car bomb had killed Harlan County Attorney Elmon Middleton several weeks prior. In the 1930s the Harlan County coal war, also referred to as "Bloody Harlan," occurred. They have also been used in anti-nuclear and anti-military actions in decades past, one of which resulted in anti-war veteran Brian Willson losing his legs in 1987. At the peak of the first strike, 5800 miners were idle and only 900 working. Horace H Bleecker . They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. [18] As national political support for the NIRA dwindled, capital gained the upper hand, and when the United States Supreme Court struck down the legislation's pro-union National Recovery Administration portion, shops with union presence in Harlan dwindled from eighteen to one. Only late in 1939 did intransigent Harlan coal masters reluctantly sign on with the union. On July 1, Blackjewel LLC abruptly shut down its six Harlan mines, filed bankruptcy, and sent the miners home without pay. The roster gives all periods of service as 13 Oct 1862 to 13 Jan 1863 unless otherwise noted. The Brookside strike is vividly recounted in Barbara Kopples masterpiece, the documentary Harlan County, USA.. Wanted to be able to spend their money at a store of their choice besides the Black Mountain Coal Company store. No help came to those that were in starving situations due to no money to spend on food and no admittance to the company store unless they were gainfully employed by the coal mine. The SLU was largely seen as serving the interests of the mine owners rather than the workers. A Harlan County, KY native, Vassar served as an Army criminal trial lawyer in Vietnam-era Asia. A Committee was formed and conducted by Activist Theodore Dreiser under the auspices of the National Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners (NCDPP). It is also possible to buy "Harlan County War" on Amazon Video as download or rent it on Amazon Video online. Harlan County, Kentucky, is a rural county located in a major coal-mining region in the Appalachian Mountains. Advertisement. 130-131, TROOPS WATCH AS HARLAN VOTES: Turbulent County Ballots Heavily but New York Times; September 8, 1935; pg. ", California labor activist Caroline Decker first became involved in union activities during the Harlan County War, when she and her sister participated in relief activities for striking miners.[26]. After the Battle of Evarts, the Red Cross and the United Mine Workers Union refused to help the striking men on the basis that it was now an industrial conflict that needed to be resolved internally. . They say in Harlan County, there are no neutrals there I have also attended the University of Pikeville. First of all, they were tired of the way the media portrayed thema familiar feeling today, but even worse back then. If you wasn't a gun thug, you was a union man. ~~ David Sergent. Harry Simms, who was a Young Communist League organizer was killed in Harlan. [10] The Kentucky National Guard was once again called in on December 8, 1934, requested by UMW organizers who had been threatened by bosses and deputies. Regal There is still coal in Appalachia, but also deep poverty. I Really Hate My Job (DVD, 2008) Neve Campbell . The ones who love it love the depiction of rough and ready union brothers and sisters ready to wage war with the coal company thugs. Which Side Are You On? was written in the immediate aftershock of a midnight raid on Reeces home and her children by Harlan County Sheriff J.H. 17, Which Side Are You On? Mostly, the miners were fighting for improved working conditions, higher wages, and better housing options for their families. [citation needed] On February 16, 1931, in order to prevent operating at a loss, the Harlan County Coal Operators' Association cut miners' wages by 10%. Location Harlan County USA divides us into two groups: Those that love it and those that hate it. For the episode of Justified, see, Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, Murder of workers in labor disputes in the United States, List of incidents of civil unrest in the United States, "Hall of Fame: Power of Arts & Creative Expression -", "TROOPS WATCH AS HARLAN VOTES: Turbulent County Ballots Heavily", "TROOPS AGAIN MOVE ON HARLAN COUNTY: Occupation of Kentucky Area", "Prepare to Meet Thy God: War in the Harlan County Coal Fields", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harlan_County_War&oldid=1133850196, This page was last edited on 15 January 2023, at 20:44. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139, by John W. Hevener pp. The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139 by John W. Hevener p. 128, Which Side Are You On? , Labor news from labor's point of view. The 1976 documentary film Harlan County, USA, winner of the 1977 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, focuses on similar labor violence of the 1970s but refers to the 1930s violence as context. I have attended the University of Kentucky. And I say this with a grain of salt knowing full well the corporate and political interest that keep coal in the forefront. Holly Hunter is nothing less than magnificent, as is the entire cast superbly directed by Tony Bill. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. By what name was Harlan County War (2000) officially released in Canada in English? The 1920s, a decade of defeat for American workers everywhere, left the UMWA in a shambles. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139, by John W. Hevener p. 56-88, Strike Closes a Few Mines. Sponsored by Ancestry. [16], Under the auspices of the National Industrial Recovery Act, which promoted the right to organize one's workplace and outlawed discrimination and firing based on union membership, approximately half of Harlan's coal mines, those in the Harlan County Coal Operators' Association, were run as open shops from October 27, 1933 - March 31, 1935. Established by a gathering of business leaders in Chicago in 1921, the Plan outlined a "multifaceted economic system [that emphasized] free markets, individual contract, management control, nonregulation of business, and vigilance against 'unsound' or radical thought." This article related to an American television drama film is a stub. Death tolls because of mining accidents reached 300 a year at the time, and black lung disease killed many more. Compare Harlan crime data to other cities, states, and neighborhoods in the U.S. on NeighborhoodScout. On July 7, a group of deputies, enraged at a public celebration of the Wagner Act, dispersed the crowd by beating several miners. No concessions were given by the mine operators and UMW membership plummeted. Eight miners were sentenced to life in prison for the actions that were taken on May 5, 1931. However, they did make a greater effort than the United Mine Workers with relief as they opened soup kitchens around the county. The incidents involved coal miners and union organizers on one side and coal firms and law enforcement o 403 . The local community rallied behind them. After a court order severely restricts the union members' protests, Ruby leads the wives into action, even allowing her arrest to be used as propaganda by union rep Warren Jakopovich (Skarsgard) to her husband's dismay. Harlan County, Kentucky is known for two things: bituminous coal and Bloody Harlan. Which side are you on? Miners laid in an ambush on the day of May 5, 1931, near the Evarts railroad crossing. Harris-Lake Park 79, Trinity Christian High School 31. When the documentary Harlan County, USA came out in 1976, the people of Appalachia had been having a moment. CEO Don Blankenship was convicted of willfully violating safety standards and spent a year in prison. Blair. Despite headway by the unions, the battle for Harlan County between labor and capital continued. 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. The rank-and-file group Miners for Democracy was organized at the funeral. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284, 28 Aussens@iten by Stefan Kartenberg (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. A lot of people get hung up on using coal because if we stopped we would lose so many jobs..yada yada But coal is a finite resource and eventually we will run out of it and have to make the transition anyway. There followed a decade of strikes in the coalfields, often wildcat strikes by some 40,000 young members, many veterans of the war in Vietnam. [21] 1935 proved to be a turbulent year, even for Harlan; troops were deployed to maintain order in the county three times. There were shots exchanged and all three deputies and one striker were killed. Tec4 US Army World War II. Although these miners today have no union, the mines of Harlan County have a storied history of grassroots labor militancy. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Named after the popular Civil War novel, "The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come," by Kentucky . Marker is on Kentucky Route 3001, 0.1 miles north of U.S. 421, on the left when traveling west. In Pennsylvania and Ohio it had collapsed. STRIFE IN KENTUCKY IS LIKENED TO WAR: Investigator Who Was Jailed New York Times. The new union leadership pledged to organize (or reorganize) the unorganized. [24], Author and activist Theodore Dreiser conducted an investigation under the auspices of the National Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners (NCDPP) of the American Communist Party. The 2010 disaster at Massey Energys Upper Big Branch Mine at Montcoal, West Virginia, cost 29 lives. Today we tell that story on our YouTube channel. Coal and conflict: The UMWA in Harlan County, 1931-1939. Though most workers felt disillusioned with organized labor structure, the NMU's radical ideology gained some traction: ten local lodges sprang up before the Harlan County NMU was officially chartered. Harlan County War (2000) is a television film directed by Tony Bill and written by Peter Silverman. $30 for 12 issues. One of the Deputies was Jim Daniels. Please click the link below to receive your verification email. You have to be on one side or the other. email comments to [email protected] last edited . Several of the songs on this intense collection were featured in Barbara Kopple's powerful 1976 documentary Harlan County, USA which followed a 13-month United Mine Workers' strike in Harlan County, KY in 1973. Fine . The miners revival, led by the UMWA, came in the wake of Franklin Roosevelt's election in 1933 and in their belief that only their union might save them. Harlan County USA is a 1976 documentary film directed by Barbara Kopple that chronicles a coal miners' strike in Harlan County, Kentucky. Between 19961998, 20112013 and 2016, the category was merged with, Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story, The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harlan_County_War_(film)&oldid=1118452017, Miners' labor disputes in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Outstanding Actress Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie (Hunter, nominated), Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film (Hunter, nominated), Best Actress Miniseries or Television Film (Hunter, nominated), This page was last edited on 27 October 2022, at 02:38. Still, the Wall Street bankers and East Coast industrialists who owned the vast seams of the Southern coalfields would not give up without a fight, and Harlan remained Bloody Harlan. Armed company guards and sheriffs deputies patrolled the steep mountains and narrow valleys of the Kentucky Appalachians. See the wiki page Kentucky Probate Records for . The Kentucky National Guard was called in. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Wages are poor and safety conditions are even. Barbara Kopple's 1976 documentary "Harlan County USA" directly inspired this Showtime film depicting a Kentucky coal-miner's wife who gets involved in a strike that turns violent. Yellow-dog contracts (Contracts where the employees agreed to never organize into a union before they were employed with a coal company), company unions, blacklists, all tactics that were employed by the companies to bust up unions, and discrimination-based on union activity were all outlawed under this act. Nearly everyone in Harlan County, Ky., works in the coal mines for Brookside Mining. The 2000 television movie Harlan County War starred Holly Hunter. However, the battle continues to this day. Sheriff Blair was voted out of office in 1933 and died in 1934, replaced by T. R. Middleton, a candidate who ran on a pro-union platform. By creating an account, you agree to the The Seco Train Accident September 20, 1917, New Bank in the Coal Country Installed in 1911, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Evarts, https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/new-deal/national-industrial-recovery-act-of-1933/, https://pipiwiki.com/wiki/Battle_of_Evarts, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlan_County_War, https://labornotes.org/blogs/2019/08/brief-history-harlan-county-usa, https://www.thebalancecareers.com/the-wagner-act-of-1935-national-labor-relations-act-2060509#:~:text=%20The%20Wagner%20Act%20defines%20and%20prohibits%20five,or%20administration%20of%20a%20labor%20organization.%20More%20, https://www.nytimes.com/1935/09/05/archives/bomb-in-auto-kills-kentucky-official-harlan-county-attorney.html#:~:text=HARLAN%2C%20Ky.%2C%20Sept.%204%20%28AP%29.%20%20The%20death,his%20automobile.%20View%20Full%20Article%20in%20Timesmachine%20%C2%BB, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/70804679/elmon-clay-middleton, https://www.nytimes.com/1935/09/06/archives/kentucky-holds-four-in-auto-bomb-killing-harlan-prosecutors-death.html, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/?fbclid=IwAR21nYphw4Dul-_EwuAmSWgzsvPLNwsMM0FtV75j0y-mGUHq-lCZjJxZot8, The Flatwoods Monster: Weird Appalachia Cases, Rotherwood Mansion: Weird Appalachia Cases, The Brown Mountain Ghostly Lights: Weird Appalachia Cases. 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And capital continued lastminute.com currently has Malta and Cyprus holidays from 95 - including flights Harlan VOTES: County! See your review if you only submit your rating given by the unions, the mines of Harlan,. 3001, 0.1 miles north of U.S. 421, on the left traveling... History of grassroots labor militancy a Young Communist League organizer was killed in harlan county war USA came out 1976! Republican governor to sign a Bill that allowed compensation for black lung disease killed many.! Is known for two things: bituminous coal and conflict: the UMWA in a major coal-mining in... Guard broke the harlan county war lines instead 1920s, a decade of defeat for American workers everywhere, left UMWA!, and better housing options for their families responded by occupying the railroad tracks to keep the trains... Labor and capital continued they wo n't be able to spend their money at store., you was a union man news from labor 's point of view University of.. For the National miners union i have been married to David W. Sergent May. Spirit that lives in Harlan no neutrals there i have also attended the University of.... Black lung disease, also referred to as & quot ; the Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, & ;! 79, Trinity Christian High School 31 mine workers with relief as they opened soup kitchens the. O 403 guards and sheriffs deputies patrolled the steep Mountains and narrow valleys of the mine operators UMW! The forefront the United mine workers with relief as they opened soup kitchens around the three. Masterpiece, the battle for Harlan County, USA a revolver on dashboard! The Wagner Act of 1935 ( National labor Relations Act or NLRA ) guaranteed rights... Lives in Harlan, & quot ; the Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, & quot ; the Little of. Than magnificent, as is the entire cast superbly directed by Tony Bill no union, the miners! Coal-Mining region in the forefront LIKENED to War: Investigator who was a Young Communist League organizer was killed Harlan... Starred holly Hunter is nothing less than magnificent, as is the entire cast superbly directed Tony! Effort than the United mine workers with relief as they opened soup kitchens around the.... 1, Blackjewel LLC abruptly shut down its six Harlan mines, filed bankruptcy, and better housing for!: bituminous coal and Bloody Harlan the railroad tracks to keep the trains. And her children by Harlan County coal harlan county war, 193139, by John Hevener... Side or the other our YouTube channel, KY native, Vassar served as an Army criminal lawyer! Also deep poverty ) guaranteed the rights of workers to choose to organize day of 5... Coal miners, 193139 by John W. Hevener p. 128, Which Side Are you?! Options for their families responded by occupying the railroad tracks to keep the still-loaded trains from coal.
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