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Confrontation at Rossiter: the Coal Strike of 1927-1928 and Its Aftermath Irwin M

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Confrontation at Rossiter: the Coal Strike of 1927-1928 and Its Aftermath Irwin M Confrontation at Rossiter: The Coal Strike of 1927-1928 and Its Aftermath Irwin M. Marcus, James P. Dougherty, and Eileen M. Cooper Indiana Univelsity of Pennsylvania C oal miners and the United Mine Workers faced an extended crisis in the 1920's as coal operators sought cost reductions and pressured unionized miners to accept wage cutbacks and even to abandon the union. Sympathetic politicians, at the state and local levels, backed the large coal companies with armed personnel and injunctions. Coal miners and the United Mine Workers responded by engag- ing in a series of strikes, highlighted by the coal strike of 1927. In conducting these strikes the miners and the union not only faced powerful opponents, but suffered from internal divisions. District 2, which encompassed Rossiter in Indiana County and the surrounding area, was headed by John Brophy, who espoused union democracy and nationalization of the mines, and challenged the leadership of John L.Lewis, president of the United Mine Workers in the 1920s. Current scholar- ship depicts this power struggle and the national labor picture in some detail. However, less attention has been paid to the events in District 2 which, not only mirrored national developments in the 1920's, but helped to set the stage for the union renewal of the 1930's as coal miners rejoined the United Mine Workers and became a key component of the Democratic Party.' In many respects conditions in Indiana County mirrored the national picture. Coal companies combined wealth with the political power of a sympathetic Republican Party. Th1e Republican Party, which dominated the Indiana County political scene in the 1920's, forged a close relationship with business leaders. In particular, the party had strong ties with the coal operators and offered them sup- port in recurrent coal strikes. Judge Jonathan Langham, a former chairman of the Indiana County Republican Party, issued a sweeping injunction against the coal miners and the United Mine Workers in the Rossiter Strike. John Fisher, a conserva- tive Indiana County Republican, served as governor of Pennsylvania during the strike. Moreover, he had been both an attorney and a director of the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation which operated the mines in Rossiter. Fisher and Langham were on close terms as reflected in the "Dear Nick" and "DearJohn" sal- utations in their correspondence. Governor Fisher also supported Judge It - 311 Langham's injunction in the Rossiter Case and condemned the subcommittee of the Committee on Interstate Commerce of the United States Senate for its criticism of Langham's actions and outlook.2 Coal miners and coal operators of Indiana County fought several major battles following the end of World War I. Rossiter coal miners participated in the strikes of 1919 and 1922 and on occasion became involved in local struggles. In March 1921 the Rossiter miners shut down the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation's oper- ations in their town. The controversy arose over the company's requirement that day men should punch a time clock provided by the company. The majority of day men refused to comply and officials of the United Mine Workers supported their position. Union officials stated that their concurrence was needed to install a time clock and that no other mine in the district used one. Work resumed with the time clock after a month-long cessation of operations. This incident prefigured confron- tations later in the decade as coal operators introduced cost cutting measures. They also sought changes in transportation rates which would make coal pro- duced in the north more competitive with southern coal. However, coal companies focused their attention on labor costs and sought "concessions" from the miners and the union at a time of decreased union strength.3 The expiration of the Jacksonville Agreement, a 1924 measure which set the wages of coal miners at $7.50 a day, and the widespread violation of its terms by operators, gave urgency to the issue of negotiating a new agreement in 1927. Union representatives had been authorized by the convention of the United Mine Workers to negotiate the best wage agreement possible based on no reduction in wages. Pursuant to this charge they met in February 1927 with operators in Miami. At this meeting operators demanded both a downward revision of the Jacksonville scale and union acceptance of the principle that wages should be automatically adjusted to the changing price of coal. No agreement could be reached on wages at the Miami meetings and the union leadership began formulating plans for a nationwide strike to begin on April 1, 1927. The convention of the American Feder- ation of Labor, in response to a plea from John L.Lewis, passed a resolution which called on its affiliated international unions to help the coal miners. However, the Coolidge administration refused to intervene in the dispute. Secretary of Labor James J. Davis could not get the major. coal operators to meet with John L.Lewis. On April 1, 1927, almost 200,000 coal miners struck in the Central Competitive Field, beginning the largest coal strike since 1922.4 Negotiations at the District 2 level followed a somewhat different course. Rep- resentatives of the Bituminous Coal Operators Association of lPennsylvania and Volunic 59, Number 4 * October 1992 -312 district officers of the United Mine Workers met in Altoona on April 1, 1927. At this meeting they agreed to extend the wage rates of the Jacksonville Agreement until July 1, 1927 or the ratification of a new agreement. A wage scale committee, selected by a District 2 convention, met with coal operators in Philadelphia in late May. At this meeting the operators demanded a 20% wage reduction and declared that they would suspend operations after June 30th if no agreement was reached by that date. T1he operators contended that competition from non-union fields in the South necessitated major wage reductions. The Scale Committee refused this demand and condemned the operators for violating the human rights of coal miners. It declared that the union represented people while the operators repre- sented property rights and that human rights came before property rights. It stated "that present wages and conditions do not now fully give our people the standards to which they are entitled by every concept of equity and justice." The impasse in negotiations continued and the strike began on July 1st. Strike activities in Indiana County focused on the mines of the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation, which was the only major operator to maintain the Jacksonville Agreement into 1927. However, the officials contended that the company could not remain com- petitive with such a high wage rate and demanded an "adjustment" from the min- ers and the union.5 Rossiter, the main strike scene in Indiana County in 1927-28, was created when Jacob Smith sold part of his farm to the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corpora- tion in 1900. The company surveyed the layout of the town and named it Rossiter for E. W Rossiter, treasurer of the New York Central Railroad (which owned the coal company). The site was located in one of the largest and richest coal fields in Indiana County. T'he coal mined in Rossiter was used by the New York Central to fuel its engines. Rossiter grew as a result of the railroad and the demand for coal generated by World War 1.Its population peaked at 5,000 in 1917, but its economy maintained some strength in the early 1920's. The community was home to roughly 100 business establishments, including a company store. Although the coal miners usually suffered from a common poverty, ethnic differences were reflected in the physical separation of miners, who tended to live in different parts of town based on their nationalities. The population distribution was about one-third Italian; one-third Polish, Slavic, and Hungarian; and one-third Scottish, English Irish, German, and Welsh. There were no Mexican or African-American miners. The company's rationale for its exclusion of "colored" miners noted that the presence of "colored men" would have a demoralizing effect on the community, especially the schools, because of their "way of living. "6 I'Cflnnsfyl fiHstory 313 Od D d Ospo Cdeftmu fu Lhwe d I-s~taM LbM LNJUIA'LMA sAu I Rtbt 3IKUNIM MA51 RAKA5IL AVE YtEL IKUM iE INVIANA CAME It, NOVEMBER 17, 19277 P1. -espkte the natkoml ntKin the Uni "-- Gazete, hxkma QitiK's imar nmtn- jpaer, WxerteljxJ*gLulm uanxdthe kwdster injuwknicn. The operations of the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation became the focal point of the coal strike of 1927 in Indiana County. The confrontation at Rossiter and the sweeping injunction issued by judge Langham were the strike's highlights. On July 1 approximately 750 miners at the Rossiter mine joined other coal miners in Western Pennsylvania on strike. Local Union No. 1726 adopted a resolution which it forwarded to state Senator Lee North, who represented Punxsutawney, the largest nearby town. The miners condemned the coal company for inaugurating a reign of terror designed to destroy their union by subjecting the miners and their wives to severe beatings. They requested the aid of Senator North in assuring them the rights guaranteed by the Constitution, which they alleged were being trampled upon by the hired gunmen of the coal company. The miners from Rossiter also engaged in direct action as they marched to other ebm %9.Number 4 atober* 1992 314 mines in the vicinity where they sought to convince fellow miners to stop working. These activities led to an injunction against them by a judge of the Jefferson County Court. By August 1927 the problems faced by the miners increased as Sheriff J.
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