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Web Archive United Mine Workers of America (UMWA)

Full online access to this resource is only available at the Library of Congress.

About this Item

Title

  • United Mine Workers of America (UMWA)

Summary

  • "The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the United States and Canada. Although its main focus has always been on workers and their rights, the UMW of today also advocates for better roads, schools, and universal health care. By 2014, coal mining had largely shifted to open pit mines in Wyoming, and there were only 60,000 active coal miners. The UMW was left with 35,000 members, of whom 20,000 were coal miners, chiefly in underground mines in Kentucky and West Virginia. However it was responsible for pensions and medical benefits for 40,000 retired miners, and for 50,000 spouses and dependents. The UMW was founded in Columbus, Ohio, on January 25, 1890, with the merger of two old labor groups, the Knights of Labor Trade Assembly No. 135 and the National Progressive Miners Union. Adopting the model of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), the union was initially established as a three-pronged labor tool: to develop mine safety; to improve mine workers' independence from the mine owners and the company store; and to provide miners with collective bargaining power. After passage of the National Recovery Act in 1933, organizers spread throughout the United States to organize all coal miners into labor unions. Under the powerful leadership of John L. Lewis, the UMW broke with the American Federation of Labor and set up its own federation, the CIO. Its organizers fanned out to organize major industries, including automobiles, steel, electrical equipment, rubber, paint and chemical, and fought a series of battles with the AFL. The UMW grew to 800,000 members and was an element in the New Deal Coalition supporting Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Lewis broke with Roosevelt in 1940 and left the CIO, leaving the UMW increasingly isolated in the labor movement. During World War II the UMW was involved in a series of major strikes and threatened walkouts that angered public opinion and energized pro-business opponents. After the war the UMW concentrated on gaining large increases in wages, medical services and retirement benefits for its shrinking membership." -- Summary retrieved on October 7, 2019 http://dbpedia.org/resource/United_Mine_Workers

Names

  • United Mine Workers of America

Created / Published

  • United States.

Headings

  • -  Miners. Labor unions. Canada
  • -  Coal miners. Labor unions. Canada
  • -  United Mine Workers of America
  • -  Miners. Labor unions. United States
  • -  Coal miners. Labor unions. United States

Genre

  • website

Form

  • electronic

Repository

  • Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 20540 USA

Source Url

  • http://www.umwa.org/

Access Condition

  • Access restricted to on-site users

Online Format

  • web page

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

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Citing Resources in the Web Archive

Citations should indicate: Archived in the Library of Congress Web Archives at www.loc.gov. When citing a particular website include the archived website's Citation ID (e.g., /item/lcwa00010240). Researchers are advised to follow standard citation guidelines for websites, pages, and articles. Researchers are reminded that many of the materials in this web archive are copyrighted and that citations must credit the authors/creators and publishers of the works. For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

United Mine Workers Of America. United Mine Workers of America UMWA. United States, 2002. Web Archive. https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0000456/.

APA citation style:

United Mine Workers Of America. (2002) United Mine Workers of America UMWA. United States. [Web Archive] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0000456/.

MLA citation style:

United Mine Workers Of America. United Mine Workers of America UMWA. United States, 2002. Web Archive. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0000456/>.