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Miners Face Tough Battle: Coal Strike A Test of Strength

By VVAW

On December 5, 130,000 members of the United Mine Workers walked out of the pits and shafts where they daily mine the coal, and went on strike. Some of the miners from Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio didn't wait for the strike deadline agreed upon by union officials and the coal operators, but instead showed their defiance by walking by the thousands two and three days early.

Labeled as "greedy workers" by the media, the miners are determined to strike for months and face the hardships of a winter without pay in order to win their demands of higher wages to meet the rising cost of living, improved safety conditions in the mines, better benefits, and the right to strike when they can no longer tolerate local conditions.

One group of West Virginia miners in particular, the Miners Right to Strike Committee came under heavy fire recently for their continual battle with union hacks and mine owners. The Right to Strike Committee a member organization of the National United Workers Organization, have led several successful wildcat strikes, participated in many others, and stood up in support of working people's battles everywhere. The intention of the rich was to douse the flames of struggle by attacking the Right to Strike Committee and all miners. Instead they merely threw more coal on to the fire.

The opening shot in the slander war on the miners came from the mouth of the grandson of John D. Rockefeller, the man responsible for the massacre of miners at the Ludlow strike in 1914. Jay Rockefeller, Governor of West Virginia stated he would call out the National Guard or federal troops to maintain coal production in "his" state. This sent shockwaves of rage throughout the coalfields and across the country. It frightened no one, but added to the miners' determination.

The next attempt to discredit the miners came through the media controlled by the rich. The newspapers, radio and TV said the miners must be "ignorant" and that this strike would be cutting their own throats because all the major coal consumers are stocked for months; besides, 50% of the coal comes from non-union mines. And what about Christmas? The miners don't want to suffer the holidays without money.

The lies about the stockpiling around the country are caving in while the national media maintains "Everything's just fine folks." In Chicago alone U.S. steel admits they are funning low and the strike has just begun. Consolidated Edison, the major power producer of the city admits their "vast stockpile" is only good for 3 or 4 weeks.

The miners say they'll "strike till Hell freezes over." When a CBS reporter asked a young miner about how terrible it will be this Christmas if they remain on strike, the miner responded, "I'm a working man and my son will be a working man. We may not have a good Christmas this year but we're fighting for the Christmases to come--the future."

Even the union hacks, led by UMW President Arnold Miller have stopped their public attacks on the rank-and-file miners and admitted it will be a long strike. Miller publically stated, "I hope for a quick settlement through negotiations" but changed his tune in the face of the miners' fierce determination. Now he says, " We won't be out just this month, but many more to come until we win." He knows full well that if he sold out quickly a majority of miners would wildcat until they won.

Now that the bosses' bubble about stockpiles and non-union coal has burst, the attacks on the miners will just come out in the open and be shown for that they really are: The vicious system of exploitation that bleeds people for profits. The miners are saying flat out--We won't live and work under these conditions.

The fight is beyond the question of money. The right to walk when the mine is too dangerous to work. The right to unionize mines as in the 18-month running gun battle in the Stern mine in Kentucky where miners and their wives gain more support and strength when the attacks mount. The right for older and retired miners suffering from black lung disease to have any future at all.

The rich hope to break the back of the miners and set the pace for attacking working people everywhere. The example of the miners has in the past and will be in the future an inspiration to working people. The rich haven't stopped their struggle before--and they won't do it now.