The incidents involved coal miners and union organizers on one side and coal firms and law enforcement officials on the other. [1] Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. A couple of moments, actually. These guards were legally able to protect these men during their off duty time. Cinemark At first, there were little battles with gunshots being exchanged between the strikers and the private guards, and the local law enforcement agents. ; September 28, 1931; pg. HARLAN WAR TRACED TO PAY-CUT REVOLT: Subsequent A.F. . The number of miners murdered by mine guards remains unknown. You're almost there! A Kentucky woman whose mine-worker husband is nearly killed in a cave-in, and whose father is slowly dying of black lung disease, joins the picket lines for a long, violent strike. For every 100 females there were 91.80 males. Among them is Silas Kincaid (Ted Levine), whose wife, Ruby Kincaid (Holly Hunter), becomes a key player during the strike. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". New machinery would transform underground miningbut at the expense of the coal miners themselves. 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. 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. [4]:46 They operated under Sheriff J. H. Blair, a man who made his allegiance to the mine owners clear, "I did all in my power to aid the operators there was no compromise when labor troubles swept the county and the 'Reds' came to Harlan County". Harlan & Hollingsworth was a Wilmington, Delaware, firm that constructed ships and railroad cars during the 19th century and into the 20th century Middleton died on the scene. Capitalizing on the general unrest created within Harlan's already-impoverished labor force, the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) attempted to organize the county's miners. The 1973 UMWA Convention in Pittsburgh was a celebration of workers democracy and workers power. The strikers expected protection, but upon replacing deputized mine guards, the National Guard broke the picket lines instead. The Act was an attempt to restructure the industrial sector of the economy and to alleviate unemployment with a public works program. On September 29, troops were dispatched on behalf of the miners for the first time in the Harlan County War, the governor referring to the beatings and harassment at the hands of the mine guards as "the worst reign of terror in the history of the county. The song Which Side Are You On? became the anthem of a reborn United Mine Workers (UMWA) union in the 1930s, then an anthem for all workersa reflection of working-class consciousness in the turbulent New Deal years. Parents. [25] Also, during the strike Florence Reece, wife of organizer Sam Reece, wrote the labor standard "Which Side Are You On? Managers pleaded guilty to impeding the Mine Safety and Health Administrations enforcement efforts. On July 1, Blackjewel LLC abruptly shut down its six Harlan mines, filed bankruptcy, and sent the miners home without pay. The 'war' lasted most of. Only to be escorted to the county line and told not to return. These charities began to give aid to blacklisted miners who were unable to find employment as the soup kitchens had closed once the NMU had closed its doors. There's no such thing as neutral. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139, by John W. Hevener pp. During the 20th century it was often a center of labor strife between coal mine owners and workers, especially in the Harlan County War of the 1930s. However, after the dust was clear, the anti-labor coal country would end up being represented by unions. Marker is on Kentucky Route 3001, 0.1 miles north of U.S. 421, on the left when traveling west. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. [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. Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter Miners also wanted the right to organize and have a union. Organizers were shot at, their homes gassed. 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. Someone had planted dynamite in his automobile and when he started it up the car blew up. 130-131, TROOPS WATCH AS HARLAN VOTES: Turbulent County Ballots Heavily but New York Times; September 8, 1935; pg. 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. RM RB64C0 - Harlan & Hollingsworth Company Factory, 100 South West Street, Wilmington, New Castle County, DE. They exercised their powers with impunity and operated under Sheriff J.H. 17, Which Side Are You On? 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. The Harlan County War, or Bloody Harlan, was a series of coal industry skirmishes, executions, bombings and strikes (both attempted and realized) that took place in Harlan County, Kentucky, during the 1930s. Aging autocrat and UMWA President John L. Lewis agreed to allow the employers a free hand in mechanizing the mines. Harlan County War 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. It outlawed yellow-dog contracts, company unions, blacklists and discrimination on basis of union activity, all tactics employed by coal companies. [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. [13], In the wake of the UMW failure, the openly Communist National Miners' Union (NMU) made a brief play for Harlan County. Here at Kentucky Tennessee Living we fully support the coal miners and their families. [12] On May 24 a union rally was tear-gassed, and Sheriff Blair rescinded county members' right to assemble. It was the most violent attack of the Harlan County Coal wars and the most violence would only last fifteen minutes in total but would forever change the name to Bloody Harlan. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139, by John W. Hevener, page 67, "Witnesses to the Struggle," Anne Loftis, University of Nevada Press, 1998, p. 46, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2017, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, "Prepare to Meet Thy God: War in the Harlan County Coal Fields", http://parallelnarratives.com/remembering-bloody-harlan/. and the [2][3] Employees who were known by their bosses to be union members were fired and evicted from their company-owned homes. to an old Baptist hymn, 'Lay the Lily Low'. In the 1930s the Harlan County coal war, also referred to as Bloody Harlan, occurred. The authetic music of Appallachia aids considerably to this must-see film. The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139 by John W. Hevener P. 81-123, Which Side Are You On? [4]:47, In the wake of the UMW failure, the Communist National Miners Union (NMU) made a brief play for Harlan County. There were only nine hundred miners working and 5,800 miners were idle and striking during the first strike. Alas, catastrophe awaited, this time in the booming 50s. A Kentucky woman whose mine-worker husband is nearly killed in a cave-in, and whose father is slowly dying of black lung, joins the picket lines for a long, violent strike. However, they did make a greater effort than the United Mine Workers with relief as they opened soup kitchens around the county. It outlawed yellow-dog contracts, company unions, blacklists, and discrimination on basis of union activity, all tactics employed by coal companies. Location We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 27, TROOPS AGAIN MOVE ON HARLAN COUNTY: Occupation of Kentucky Area New York Times; September 29, 1935; pg. Director Tony Bill Writer Peter Silverman Stars Holly Hunter Stellan Skarsgrd Terms and Policies [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%. She becomes a member of the organizing committee and regularly joins the picket lines herself. Released May 19th, 2000, 'Harlan County War' stars Holly Hunter, Stellan Skarsgrd, Ted Levine, Wayne Robson The PG-13 movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 44 min, and received a user score of 77 . Give $10 a month or more and get our "Fight the Boss, Build the Union" T-shirt. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969. Harlan County USA is a 1976 documentary film directed by Barbara Kopple that chronicles a coal miners' strike in Harlan County, Kentucky. In the black-and-white video . Among them is Silas Kincaid (Ted Levine), whose wife, Ruby Kincaid (Holly Hunter), becomes a key player during the strike. Editor. The Harlan County War, or Bloody Harlan, 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. [4] Only three of Harlan's incorporated towns were not owned by mines, and hungry and evicted workers and their families sought refuge in them, primarily in the town of Evarts. Special to The New York Times. 12, Which Side Are You On? The miners lay in ambush for cars delivering materials to strikebreakers and shot at them. Organizer Garfield Lewis wrote, The people have been so starved out that they are flocking into the Union by the thousands I organized 9 Locals Tuesday.. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. [1] The question at hand: the rights of Harlan County coal miners to organize their workplaces and better their wages and working conditions. Harlan County War [New DVD] $10.13 . Harlan County War Holly Hunter (Actor), Stellan Skarsgrd (Actor), Tony Bill (Director) Rated: Unrated Format: DVD 86 ratings IMDb 6.4/10.0 Prime Video $2.99 $9.99 DVD from $8.83 VHS Tape $7.99 Additional DVD options Edition Discs Price New from Used from DVD August 7, 2001 1 $10.97 $8.83 DVD $35.83 $35.83 DVD $35.83 $35.83 Advertisement. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! In "Bloody Harlan" in the 1930s, miners and union organizers faced bayonets and many died fighting the coal bosses, helping to fuel a national wave of organizing. Coming Soon. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Miners and their families responded by occupying the railroad tracks to keep the still-loaded trains from carrying coal away till they were paid. Harlan County Courthouse 706 W. 2nd Street Alma, NE 68920 Phone: 308.928.2173 Harlan County Website . Michael Knigge Harlan County, Kentucky. I visited Harlan in 1974 with a contingent from the British miners union. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1862. My songs always goes to the underdog to the worker. They found sympathy there with spurned politicians and business owners who wished to see the company stores vanish. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. . The incidents involved coal miners and union organizers on one side, and coal firms and law enforcement officials on the other. The Red Cross eventually became involved in the county along with several local charities. Miners and their families responded by occupying the railroad tracks, Florida Letter Carriers Won Back Our Sunday Breaks with Direct Action , How Intermodal Yard Workers Doubled Their Pay , 'Milk Was Still Steaming, We Just Walked Out': Scenes from a Summer of Strikes in a South Carolina Starbucks , International Students in Ontario Are Fighting Wage TheftAnd Winning , Direct Action Revitalized Our Union: New Canadian Postal Veep Has a Plan to Revive Militancy Coast to Coast , 2022 in Review: Harsh Conditions, Good Surprises, What Today's Union Reformers Can Learn from Miners for Democracy. Cinemark Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Harlan Campbell Jr - Trap Shooting My Way DVD at the best online prices at eBay! The radical ideology of the union began gaining some ground in the mountains. Before its conclusion, an indeterminate number of miners, deputies, and bosses would be killed, state and federal troops would occupy the county more than half a dozen times, two acclaimed folk singers would emerge, union membership would oscillate wildly, and workers in the nation's most anti-labor coal county would ultimately be represented by a union. Still, there is a spirit that lives in Harlan, along with the ghosts of battles past. There were only three cars in the motorcade each of which contained a sheriffs deputy. Revolutionary War [edit | edit source] 1775 - 1783 United States Rosters of Revolutionary War Soldiers and Sailors, 1775-1783 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only; An open shop allows union membership but does not mandate it. Cast & Crew Director: Tony Bill Writer: Peter Silverman Starring: Holly Hunter Ted Levine. A series of strikes, bombings and gun battles between striking miners and coal company guards, it lasted from 1931-1939 and established the UMW in eastern Kentucky, as well and giving birth to the labor song "Which Side Are You On?" [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. The mining company had ordered a motorcade to deliver food and supplies to the strikebreakers known as Scabs. Harlan was one of about a dozen anti-war activists targeted by the FBI that day; the rest were in Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, California and Wisconsin. Harlan Courthouse Address. 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. Most accurate 2021 crime rates for Harlan, KY. Harlan County War 2000 Ruby Kincaid (Hunter) is the wife of striking Kentucky coal miner Silas (Levine). Boyle had Yablonski murdered. [1] The Harlan County coal miners campaigned and fought to organize their workplaces and better their wages and working conditions. Wanted to be able to spend their money at a store of their choice besides the Black Mountain Coal Company store. [17] The National Guard was once again called in on December 8, 1934, requested by UMW organizers who had been threatened by bosses and deputies. Strikers exchanged gunfire with private guards and local law enforcement; strikebreakers were set upon and beaten. New York Times; May 12, 1934 pg. Harlan County War (2000) is a television film directed by Tony Bill and written by Peter Silverman. Compare Harlan crime data to other cities, states, and neighborhoods in the U.S. on NeighborhoodScout. There miners and union organizers fought the coal bosses for nearly a decadefor the right to have a union in a county where all but three incorporated towns were owned by the coal companies. The average lifespan of a Harlan County resident has actually gotten shorter between the 1980s and now, and they live on average ten years less than the average American. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139, by John W. Hevener p.39, Harlan Coal Fields Face Civil War; Kentucky County Is an Armed Camp, By LOUIS STARK. The question at hand: the rights of Harlan County . After his military career, he spent a number of years in corporate manufacturing management, in the textiles industry, where he crossed paths with a few too many new-generation Gordon Gekkkos and chose to move on to consulting work on behalf of "Con los pobres de la tierra quiero yo mi suerte echar . The Harlan County Battalion was on active duty from 13 Oct 1862 to 13 Jan 1863 and detachments were on duty up to Feb 28th. But some refuse to . 3, LIMIT IN WAGE CUTS REACHED IN HARLAN: SCENE IN HARLAN COUNTY (KENTUCKY) INDUSTRIAL STRIFE. 2, Which Side Are You On? This was thirteen percent of the workers showing up for their scheduled work times. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The Harlan County Coal Wars lasted from 1931-1939. Nearly everyone in Harlan County, Ky., works in the coal mines for Brookside Mining. Attempts to organize led to the dismissal of employees who were suspected of having leanings toward the organization and having them evicted from their family homes. Just my two-cents Financial Advisor Sarasota, Since 1979, Labor Notes has been the voice of union activists who want to put the movement back in the labor movement. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/JeffSpeed68/56171 Ft: Aussens@iter (tobias_weber), Gerd Kohlmeier, Audio Podcast WordPress Theme By VWThemes, The Harlan County Coal War (Podcast Episode), The Hatfields and the McCoys: After the Feud, http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/ramblinglibrarian/41284. ", 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]. Harlan County is a county located in southeastern Kentucky. In Pennsylvania and Ohio it had collapsed. Family Members. Which side are you on? With the opening left by the United Mine Workers union the openly Communist (NMU) National Miners Union tried to help the miners to organize. Holly Hunter is nothing less than magnificent, as is the entire cast superbly directed by Tony Bill. [1] These disputes were still brewing when on December 8, 1934, the United Mine Workers Union was threatened by deputies and mine bosses. Today, U.S. coal comes mostly from the Western plains, dug out by huge earth-moving machinery and carried to the coasts on mile-long, dust-spewing trains. An open shop is where union membership is allowed but not mandated to work at that location. [4]:32. The question is back: Which Side Are You On?. return to the Civil War Homepage. Cheap 2023 holidays for Brits with flights from 9 to Spain, Portugal and Turkey. Memorials. If for example, they did not behave in the way the companies wanted them to, they could lose all their benefits up to and including their jobs. Miners laid in an ambush on the day of May 5, 1931, near the Evarts railroad crossing. At the same time, coal miners and their families, who of course were a sizable and . Strikebreakers were often beaten. They were convicted on charges of conspiracy to murder. In Harlan County there wasn't no neutral. They say in Harlan County, there are no neutrals there Just below that it reads "Ticket Confirmation#:" followed by a 10-digit number. "[12][13] He protected the miners despite the fact that a bomb had killed Harlan County Attorney Elmon Middleton several weeks earlier.[14]. On May 5, 1931, the Battle of Evarts began. , Labor news from labor's point of view. The SLU was largely seen as serving the interests of the mine owners rather than the workers. Evarts welcomed the miners because it was filled with spurned politicians and business owners who wished to see the company stores and company men in political positions vanish. With the added protection for workers and the addition of collective bargaining between the workers and their employers. Harlan County War (89) 6.4 1 h 44 min 2000 16+ A Kentucky woman whose mine-worker husband is nearly killed in a cave-in, and whose father is slowly dying of black lung disease, joins the picket lines for a long, violent strike. 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. Just confirm how you got your ticket. By June 17, the last mine had returned to work. : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139, by John W. Hevener p.47, Which Side Are You On? : The Harlan County Coal Miners, 193139, by John W. Hevener p. 46, Which Side Are You On? 403 . An open shop allows union membership but does not mandate it. [21] 1935 proved to be a turbulent year, even for Harlan; troops were deployed to maintain order in the county three times. When the documentary Harlan County, USA came out in 1976, the people of Appalachia had been having a moment. The Great Depression of 1929 through the late 1930s hit Harlan County Kentucky. Their foothold there ultimately ended because the local clergy who were the labor organizers found out that the union was communist in nature and held animosity toward religion. Sheriff T. R. Middleton replaced Blair under the pro-union campaign platform. Principal cast [ edit] Holly Hunter as Ruby Kincaid Stellan Skarsgrd as Warren Jakopovich Ted Levine as Silas Kincaid Wayne Robson as Tug Jones Alex House as Buddy Kincaid
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