The Coal Strike of 1902

The Coal Strike of 1902

The Great Coal Strike of 1902 had a great impact on the society of the United States for a number of reasons: how the miners wanted more money and a shorter work day, how the people needed the coal for heating their houses and how they lived, and how the union called the United Mine Workers was involved and how the strike finally ended. The Strike was started for two reasons. First, is that the workers wanted a raise so they could pay off some of their debts and get their children out of the mines. If they got enough money they could also invest the money in some industries making the economy better. Second, is that the workers wanted a shorter work day so they could rest up for the next day and be home with their family. This would most likely make the miners happier and in the long run the miners would work harder and faster. The workers had a hard life because of the low paying jobs. The parents couldn't support their families alone so the some of the children also went there to work. A consequence that the strike made was that when the miners stopped digging up the coal, the coal ran out and most of the coal was used to heat houses. The people needed this coal to heat their houses especially in the winter time. So the people pushed for an end to the strike, so they could heat their houses again and be comfortable. Another consequence would be that the mine operators lost their good reputation because of the way they were paying and treating the workers at some of the mines. They found this out by Carroll Wright sending special agents, experts, and clerks to look at how the mines were being run. They found that there were some evidence of terrible conditions but it was only represented by a small number of cases. In large mining communities the conditions were found to be good, and miners were judged as only partly justified in their claim that annual earnings were not sufficient "to maintain an American standard of living". The United Mine Workers Union was headed by John Mitchell who became the president, at age 28, of the United Mine Works in 1898. He hoped to achieve the same kind of success in the anthracite or hard coalfields of Pennsylvania. He achieved this on October 23, 1902 after the 163-day anthracite coal strike ended. The United Mine Workers union was a group of miners that came together to make the mine operators give in to the Unions demands for better work hours and a 20% increase in their wages. During the strike a lot of things happened the President was going to order the U.S. Army to take over the coal fields as a last resort. The Army would get the coal out of the mines and sell it to keep the heat in the houses. There were also a lot of negotiations going on but no group would give in so there was no end in sight. The mine operators' reaction to the strike was that they were not going to give in. The mine operators thought that the mine workers already had a good life. They also thought that the miners lived in good houses in the mining community and why should they ask for more than what they have already. Another thought that the mine operators had was that the mining conditions have always been that way and if they should have heard how bad a life it was from other miners. They should have also expected that from a low paying job. The mine operators thought that if they were to give in and give them more money they would go bankrupt because of the operators' low income

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