Coal Wars: Unions, Strikes, and Violence in Depression-era Central Washington

Strikes are a way of life for central Washington coal miners and their families, but Tuesday, April 3, 1934, is different. This time, people are afraid. Wives and mothers pelt cars with rocks, rotten eggs, and cow pies. They curse and assault anyone who dares to cross their picket line. On a normal shift, the striking laborers spend ten or more hours at the workplace. Dressing, preparing lights and equipment, and traveling into the mine shaft-as much as an hour each way-are all done on their own time. The miners and their families want safer working conditions, fair wages, and a six-hour workday. So when leaders of their national union, the United Mine Workers of America, seem indifferent to their concerns, some local members create a new organization, the Western Miners Union of America, and decide to strike. But this time, conflicting union alliances turn residents of Roslyn, Cle Elum, and Ronald against each other, and the heated, violent battle leaves deep and lasting scars. A refreshingly balanced account, Coal Wars captures the drama surrounding a dual union movement in the 1930s American West while portraying the region's melting pot of working families and the sociopolitical impacts of New Deal policies. Author David Bullock witnessed the bitter emotions first hand. His grandfather, a Roslyn miner, lived through the events depicted in Coal Wars.