"Anthracite Labor Wars" with Robert Wolensky and William Hastie
Although hard coal's labor history has received greater consideration in recent years, many untold stories remain. "Anthracite Labor Wars" tells the story of a thirty year labor war (from approximately 1905-1935) and its long-term consequences (up to 1960) for the workers and the industry. It was an evolving conflict not only between labor and management, but also between labor and labor, and labor and organized crime. Much of the fighting occurred between and among employees of the Pennsylvania Coal Company and the Hillside Coal & Iron Company- both owned by the Erie Railroad and, therefore, called the Erie Coal Companies- in the northern anthracite field around Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. The book details the determined efforts by workers to organize against various workplace grievances, especially two forms of tenancy- the subcontracting system and the leasing system- initiated by management to achieve greater workplace control, productivity, and ultimately profits.
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