The United Mine Workers under John L. Lewis announced a strike for November 1, 1919. They had agreed to a wage agreement to run until the end of World War I and now sought to capture some of their industry’s wartime gains….Coal strike of 1919.

Coal strike of 1902

Wilson, Secretary of Labor of the United States, to answer charges which Brigman brought against the miners and the postmaster. He denied that the union miners were Bolsheviks and he called for the reinstatement of Mikesell.

The Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902 resulted in a victory for the hard-coal miners with a 10% increase in wages and an hours reduction in their working day. Anthracite coal was the most popular fuel for heating in the northern United States from the 1800s until the 1950s.

How did Roosevelt intercede in the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902? He invited strikers and workers to the White House. He urged the owners to negotiate a deal. He threatened to send in the army to work the mines.

– The United Mine Workers of America went on strike in 1902 to call to attention their low wages, long hours, and poor conditions. – Coal was important for winter fuel, so the federal government was alarmed as to how to handle it. – Roosevelt wanted to intervene in the strike.

coal famine
On Friday, October 3, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt called a precedent-shattering meeting at the temporary White House at 22 Lafayette Place, Washington, D.C. A great strike in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania threatened a coal famine.

The national coal strike of 1912 was the first national strike by coal miners in the United Kingdom. Its main goal was securing a minimum wage. The strike began at the end of February in Alfreton, Derbyshire and spread nationwide. Nearly one million miners took part.

The dispute centred upon an attempt by the Miners Federation of Great Britain, the main trade union representing coal miners, to secure a minimum wage for miners in their district and replace the complicated wage structure then in place which often made it difficult for a miner to earn a fair day’s wage.

In June 1911, National Seamen’s and Firemen’s Union, pushing for a wage rise, called on the transport workers for help. That summer, Britain’s major ports and railways were brought to a halt. In South Wales, even the schoolkids came out on strike and, remarkably, some policemen.

The miners struck for four weeks, and the East End docks were brought to a halt for two months. And as summer approached, a strike started among West End tailors for better piece rates. On 2 May, the Times reported 7000-8000 workers at one strike meeting.

The strike was a repeat of the unsuccessful strike of 1894, which also sought a minimum wage. The strike began at the end of February in Alfreton, Derbyshire, and spread nationwide. Nearly one million miners took part.