Gone Progressive

Recently I had the opportunity to visit UMWA District 12 headquarters in Springfield, IL. While most of their historically relevant files are archived at Penn State University, District 12 does hold a partial card file which lists the union's locals during the time of the mine war.

Here's a video which shows one of the files:

One can see the word, "Progressive" handwritten next to each local that seceded from the UMWA.

According to the Decatur Herald, the Progressive Miners of America claimed to represent 34,000 of the state's 45,000 union miners when it was founded in September, 1932.

Thanks to the UMWA's Lisa Andrew for sharing this interesting find.

Looking For John L. Lewis

I recently visited Lewis grave accompanied by UMWA retiree, Larry Wilson, a long-time resident of Springfield who was unaware that Lewis was buried there. While the Mother Jones Monument in the tiny town of Mt. Olive is internationally renown, the location of John L. Lewis' grave site is relatively obscure. The lack of a grandiose monument seems to parallel the low profile Lewis adopted after retiring as head of the United Mine Workers in 1960.

John L. Lewis grave site. The sign in the foreground was added in recent years.

Lewis is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, IL, the same cemetery which provides the final resting place of Abraham Lincoln. Lewis' death in 1969 generated little interest or anguish.

In it's June 13, 1969 obituary, the New York Times commented:

"The death of the most dynamic, the most constructive, and surely the most colorful of American trade union chiefs has aroused no such emotions - for the simple reason that Lewis' era has since long passed; for fifteen years, at least, he and his works have belonged to history. To say this is in no way to belittle the founded of the C.I.O., but to comment, further, on the swiftness with which history moves in these times, rendering big men and bigger movements 'irrelevant' to the young and nostalgic even to the middle-aged."



For those interested in visiting, click here for a map with directions to the grave.

Blair Mountain Update

There have been some promising developments in the struggle to protect Blair Mountain and suspend mountaintop mining in the Appalachian Mountains. You can learn more about the historical importance of Blair Mountain by clicking here.

On Tuesday, March 24, Ilovemountains.org reported: "the Environmental Protection Agency announced it would suspend and review permits for two mountaintop removal coal mining operations — and put hundreds more mountaintop coal-mining permits on hold until it can evaluate their impact on our nation’s streams and wetlands."

In addition, the Charleston Gazette's excellent blog, Coal Tattoo reports, "the National Register of Historic Places has approved the long-sought nomination of Blair Mountain, site of the historic coal-mining labor battle in Logan County, W.Va., to the National Register."

There has been some controversy following the announcement. Initially it was reported that West Virginia state government had petitioned to have Blair Mountain removed from the list and federal protection. Since then the West Virginia Division of Culture and History denied that such a petition was filed.

Governor Manchin asserts that the rights of property owners trump historical preservation. I suspect those property owners are either coal operators or those who wish to profit from them.

Rep. Rahall and Rep. Capito support the protection of Blair Mountain. Remaining federal representatives including Senator Byrd and Senator Rockefeller have taken no public position.

More to come.

Centralia Mine Disaster

Here's a late post to commemorate the Centralia Mine Disaster. The mine exploded on March 25, 1947, in Centralia, Illinois killing 111 miners.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor reported:

"The explosion was caused when an underburdened shot or blown-out shot ignited coal dust. The mine was exceedingly dry and dusty. Heavy deposits of coal dust were present along the roadways and on the roof, ribs, and timbers in working places and entries. At the time of the explosion most of the men were at the man trips on the entries waiting for the shot firers to complete lighting the shots so they could ride to the shaft bottoms on the man trips. At the time of the explosion 142 men were in the mine. Of those, 65 were killed by burns and violence and 45 by afterdamp. Eight men were rescued but one died from the effects of afterdamp. Twenty-four escaped unaided."

UMWA President, John L. Lewis testified before Congress on the disaster. Here's a short video clip of some of his testimony:

Following the disaster UMWA President John L. Lewis invoked the union's right to call memorial days. The miners did not work for six days, beginning March 29, 1947.

In United We Stand: The United Mine Workers of America 1890-1990, Maier B. Fox writes, "The disaster was of such magnitude that both the House and Senate held committee hearings on mine safety. Lewis used those forums to castigate both the operators and the government. He told the representatives that historically the operators philosophy was, 'We kill them, you (the union) provide for their widows and orphans.'"

Lewis' leadership on mine safety during this time is one of the reasons he was held in such high esteem by many miners. In some ways, his actions then make an assessment of his career difficult.

Undoubtedly Lewis was an autocrat that had little use for democratic mechanisms to govern a union. And there seemed to be no limits to the actions he would take to consolidate and hold power. The names of the PMA martyrs etched on the side of the Mother Jones Monument are testament to how dangerous it could be to oppose him.

While he contributed greatly to the growth of industrial unionism through the formation of the CIO, Lewis' need for control ensured top-down structures which left workers reliant on the paternalistic favor of union leaders and bureaucratic processes of the legal system for protection, rather than building rank and file power through democratic unions.

As the decades wore on those legal protections eroded. Arguably those bureaucratic processes now do more to serve business interests, undercutting the rights of workers to speak, organize and act.

That being said Lewis' leadership in the 1940's resulted improved mine safety as well as a welfare and retirement fund. The Centralia Mine Disaster provided the catalyst to force the government to act and the mining industry to acquiesce. The UMWA Welfare and Retirement Fund continues to this day.

Here's Woodie Guthrie's "Dying Miner", to commemorate the tragedy.
Provided courtesy of the excellent Archive.org.

Eyewitness Account of the Mulkeytown March

Last year I was lucky enough to interview Sam Sabattini, a former resident of Bulpitt, IL as well as former member of the Progressive Miners of America. As a teenager Sabatinni participated in a number of union actions and witnessed mine war violence first-hand.


Following the fradulent contract referendum, west central Illinois miners organized a mass march to southern Illinois to join with their union brothers in the south.

On August 25, 1932, the Decatur Herald & Review reported: "Handbills urging union miners in this section to cease work and meet members of the army of miners from central and northern Illinois were dropped from an airplane over the coal fields and towns of Franklin county Thursday morning.

The text of the handbills: 'Miners of southern Illinois: "All out today. "Meet your 25,000 union brothers at the Franklin county line. "They have come to aid you to put an end to the gunman rule and terrorism which is being used to force you to work under a wage scale you have twice rejected. The miners of the whole district are with you. Down your tools today. Policy Committee, District No. 12. U.M.W.A.'"

Sabattini recalls: "The parade started in Christian County and they were gonna go down to West Frankfort and show the United Mine Workers a show of strength.

Well, between Du Quoin and Christopher there’s a little town called Mulkeytown, okay?

And the highway or the road between East Du Quoin and Mulkeytown was raised up because there was a drainage ditch on each side. Well, there was about 100 – or over 100 cars that were formulated from Springfield and they would pick up 10 or 15 cars as they went along.

The United Mine Workers down there let them get across the levy and then they opened up, not to kill. But I was riding in a car, a Model A Ford Wilshire with a fellow by the name of Red Rape and the United Mine Workers just shot into the door with pellets, not buckshot. But most every car that was there had bullet holes in the side door and Red turned that Model A around on the levy and away we went for home.

That was a harrowing experience. I was tickled to death to get the hell out of there."

Springfield Journal-Register On Sigler Debate

Thanks to Dave Bakke, columnist for the Springfield Journal-Register for his piece on the inclusion of Joe Sigler on the Illinois memorial for fallen police officers. You may read the full article here.

To my mind there's no doubt that Sigler should be included. It seems rather obvious that Sigler's protection was enlisted by Hugh Donnelly a member of the United Mine Workers, because Sigler was a police officer. And later that evening, Sigler sacrificed his life protecting Donnelly.

Joseph Sigler's badge & gun

There also seems to be some question of Sigler's occupation at the time of his death. During the mine war, it wasn't unusual for miners to also be deputized part-time law enforcement officers.

But for Sigler this wasn't the case. While Sigler had been a miner, the September 15, 1934 Taylorville Breeze-Courier reported: "Mr. Sigler was employed in the mines along the Midland for several years but for the last several months has been employed as special policeman at Bulpitt." Clearly his sole occupation at the time of his death was police officer.

And even though Sigler was a member of the Progressive Miners of America, his decision to protect UMWA member Donnelly demonstrated that Sigler valued life and civic duty above all. Too often the sensational violence of the mine war obscures the fact that a number of the founding members of the Progressive Miners were committed pacifists. To my mind, Sigler's actions were consistent with the methods set forth by those leaders as well as the basic tenets of community unionism.

Let's hope the overseers of the state memorial are wise enough to add Sigler's name to the monument. He earned it.

Sigler To Be Honored In Washington, D.C.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial will add the name of mine war martyr, Joseph Sigler on May 13. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund commemorates the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers.

Sigler served a unique role within the tiny community of Bulpitt, IL. While he was a miner and member of the Progressive Miners of America, he also worked for the village as a special police officer. I'll write more on this later, but suffice to say that it wasn't unusual for miners to be enlisted as law enforcement officers in these small communities. And at times, the law enforcement officers of a village could be at odds with the county sheriff or even the state militia.

Harry Jones and Joe Sigler are among those memorialized on the Mother Jones Monument in Mt. Olive, IL

On September 15, 1934, the Taylorville Breeze Courier editorialized, "The death of Joe Sigler, Bulpitt Special Policeman, yesterday adds another death to the uncalled for shooting out there early Monday morning and removes from that community another of its splendid citizens.

Harry Jones and Joe Sigler paid the price of their lives while trying to insure the safety of one of their local citizens...Sigler was a Progressive but he respected the rights of others who might differ in opinion with him."

Of course the conflict was rooted in far more than a difference of opinion, but Sigler's actions demonstrated that he valued life above all. And for me at least, his actions demonstrated that he adhered to the PMA's initial code of non-violence.

However, it's not clear that Sigler's sacrifice will be acknowledged by the Illinois Law Enforcement Memorial. While an event is scheduled for May 7 in Springfield, IL, Sigler's name has as yet to be added. Hopefully Illinois will accord the same honor to Sigler that the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial saw fit to bestow.