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Show f Energy UMWA represents coal miners The United Mine Workers of America was organized Jan. 25, 1890 in Huntington, W.Va. It was a victory won after years of struggle struggle that continued at mine after mine throughout the first half of the 20th century. purchased from the remained sporadic. From about 1880 to 1920, miners were idle an average of 93 working days each year. A miner was paid only for the number oftons he loaded and sent to the surface. Such work as setting timbers, laying track and taking up bottom paid nothing. A miner who had a good day with no problems could hand-loa- d four to five tons of coal in a shift. 10-ho- ur Blasting Supplies & Accessories Explosives Workers leave the mine at Consumers after completing a day shift in 1936. Union influence played a major role in improving mine safety. (Dorthea Lange photo, courtesy Dorman collection) The underground workers lived under constant threat of explosion or caving and feared possible floods or fires that trapped men Western Region Regional Sales Office Service Center Parts Warehouse P.O. Box 757 Airport Road, Pnce, UT 84501 (801)637-616- 1 Parts Warehouse Star Route 2, Box 185 Green River, WY 82935 (307)875-586- 0 Parts Warehouse 507 Park Dnve, P.O Box J Carlsbad, NM (505)885-417- 88220 HEKiED underground. While working, they breathed air filled with dust and smoke from the powder explosions that loosened the coal. JOY TECHNOLOGIES INC. com- the mining industry BURT EXPLOSIVES "PYNO.NOBEJDiSTRIBUTOR dissent and sometimes, company guards were pany. They were even forced to pay the company to have their picks sharpened by a company employee. When the union finally organized Carbon County miners, working conditions and benefits began to slowly improve. However, work in 199427 INC. Organizing workers often came after violent encounters between mine operators, their police and striking miners. Often, organizers were killed by company guards seeking to squelch killed. The establishment of the union in Carbon County came with as much struggle and bloodshed as its establishment in the East, and working conditions were just as deplorable. Many local miners remember the strike of 1922, when the National Guard was called into the mining camps to preserve the peace. Most of the first miners lived in tent cities, where two families often occupied one small tent. Their lives were not only controlled by the company at work, but also when they went home. They were forced to shop at the company store, live in a company-owne- d home and even drive a vehicle that was sold by a company where the mine superintendent owned stock. Workers were forced to purchase supplies used in the mine from the company. Items such as blasting caps, powder and picks were all Edition, January, Mining Machinery Division |