UMW miners push back Pittston's union-busting

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After almost a year of bitter struggle, 1700 coal breaking attempt to use troops to force miners to miners in Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky mine coal, and despite a stab in the back by the voted on Feb. 19 to ratify a new four-year contract AFL-CIO's top bureaucrats, who backed Carter's inUnlike the outcome of many other strikes over the The main reason Pittston chose to attempt to last decade, the United Mine Workers of America break the union is based on the hard times the union (UMWA) members prevailed over most of the has faced over the last decade. Since the 1977-78 takeback demands of the company, specifically miners' strike, a gradual erosion of the miners' positurning back Pittston's demand to discontinue tion has taken place, primarily as a result of automation (long-walling), which has led to a massive reIn the new agreement, approved by a 2 to 1 mar- duction in the number of working miners. gin, miners' and retirees' health benefits are covered (Automation has eliminated almost half-a-million 100 percent. While the new agreement states that mining jobs since the 1950s while, at the same The fewer jobs available increased competition among miners. This advantage for coal operators gave them the ability to break the union hold over a large section of the industry. (Union control slipped from 90 percent in the 1950s to a third of the indusBut the decisive factor in the current struggle was the 20-year-long series of outright givebacks to the bosses by the labor bureaucracy. In line with their concessions policy, the labor bureaucrats have worked assiduously to block any mass fightback by During the Pittston strike, the AFL-CIO bureaucracy played a treacherous role despite the fact that the UMWA had recently re-affiliated with the labor federation. On June 26, the AFL-CIO sent a letter to all its affiliates stating that local units could only assist UMWA strike activities where they did not conflict with existing court prohibitions (injuncThis meant crossing UMWA picketlines at plants Even so, the strike inspired an unusually high level of solidarity: A thousand unions, churches, and community groups in the areas closest to the strugIn a sense, the sheer weight of their class-struggle traditions permitted the Pittston miners to mount a remarkable defensive struggle based on mass picketing to stop coal deliveries—in defiance of anti-strike injunctions and massive fines. The high cost to the struck company brought it to the bargaining table.

But a larger factor bringing the bosses to terms was the UMWA's actual steps toward initiating a general miners' strike. Rank-and-file miners throughout the coal fields showed their readiness to stop all coal production. This could have set in motion a general rise in class consciousness that would have altered the overall relation of forces between The ruling class responded to the miners' mobilization with both the stick and the carrot. It issued new fines and other threats while also giving a signal of its willingness to back off from some of its The UMWA leadership chose to compromise.

They were able to hold on to most of their health and retirement benefits and job security—two of the key issues in dispute—in the new contract. But they have been compelled to promise to adhere to antiThey were also forced to go back to work with $64 million in fines still hanging over the union's head-even though the company joined the union in Overall, the strike must be seen as a victory for miners and all labor, given the unfavorable objective context created by over four decades of a step-bystep, bureaucratic demobilization of a fighting labor agreement with the Pittston Coal Group. vocation of Taft-Hartley.

paying health benefits.

time, increasing production.)

try today.)

Self-reliance, self determination, but not immediate independence are the code words in Armenia.