United Mine Workers of America District 12 (Ill.) Records on Microfilm, 1899-1928
Collection Number: 5301 mf

Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Cornell University Library


DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
United Mine Workers of America District 12 (Ill.) Records on Microfilm, 1899-1928
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Collection Number:
5301 mf
Abstract:
Collection consists of transcripts of joint conventions and conferences of coal mine operators and officials of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania (1899-1919); joint board meetings between operators and officials of District 12 of the UMW for the purpose of adjusting grievances (1899-1928); and various contracts signed between locals in the Central Competitive Fields and the mine operators (1899-1928).
Creator:
United Mine Workers of America (UMWA)
Quanitities:
1 collection
Language:
Collection material in English

Biographical / Historical

District 12 encompasses the coal fields of Illinois and, throughout the period covered by these records, was one of the largest and most powerful districts in the United Mine Workers (UMW). District 12 was noted for its violent history of labor-management confrontation and, in the 1920's and 1930's, as a hotbed of sentiment against UMW central leadership, notably that of John L. Lewis.
District 12, in an attempt to maintain its contracts, unilaterally, and against the will of the Lewis leadership, accepted a reduction in the day rates of its members, thus leveling the final blow to the uniform scale of the Central Competitive Fields (CCF). In the late 1920's, moreover, District 12 was the center of a movement to unseat Lewis. Led by District 12 President Frank Farrington, John H. Walker, and Alexander Howatt, the movement culminated in 1930 with District 12 declaring itself autonomous from the UMW. After two years of complicated legal battles, District 12 was forced back into the UMW and Farrington and Walker were unseated by pro-Lewis candidates. In the process, a dual miners' union was formed in Illinois, the Progressive Mine Workers of America, which struggled, with questionable success, to wrest the allegiances of Illinois coal miners from the Lewis-dominated UMW.

Collection consists of transcripts of joint conventions and conferences of coal mine operators and officials of the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania (1899-1919); joint board meetings between operators and officials of District 12 of the UMW for the purpose of adjusting grievances (1899-1928); and various contracts signed between locals in the Central Competitive Fields and the mine operators (1899- 1928).
This collection is divided into two series.
Series 1: Joint Conventions and Conference Proceedings (reels 1-3)
Series 2: Joint Grievance Board Transcripts (reels 4-7)
Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference archivist for access to these materials.
Conditions Governing Use

This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and Procedures for Document Use.

INFORMATION FOR USERS

Preferred Citation

United Mine Workers of America District 12 (Ill.) Records on Microfilm, #5301 mf. Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.

Related Materials

Related Collections: 5301/1 mf: UMWA Records: Series 1. Joint Conventions and Conference Proceedings on Microfilm 5301/2 mf: UMWA Records: Series 2. Joint Grievance Board Transcripts on Microfilm 5302 mf: "History of the United Mine Workers, 1890-1932" Unpublished Manuscript on Microfilm

SUBJECTS

Names:
Wilson, William B. (William Bauchop), 1862-1934
United Mine Workers of America.
Subjects:
Arbitration, Industrial. Coal mining industry. Illinois.
Coal-miners. Housing. United States.
Coal mining industry. Illinois. Management.
Coal mining industry. Illinois. Safety measures.
Coal mining industry. Illinois. Technological innovations.
Coal mining industry. Labor productivity. Illinois.
Coal mining industry. United States. Equipment and supplies.
Collective bargaining. Coal mining industry. Illinois.
Collective labor agreements. Coal mining industry. Illinois.
Employee fringe benefits. Arbitration, Industrial. Illinois.
Employee fringe benefits. Coal mining industry. Illinois.
Employee fringe benefits. Coal mining industry. Illinois.
Employee rights. Arbitration, Industrial. Illinois.
Employees, Dismissal of. Arbitration, Industrial. Illinois.
Employees, Dismissal of. Coal mining industry. Illinois.
Grievance procedures. Coal mining industry. Illinois.
Hours of labor. Arbitration, Industrial. Illinois.
Hours of labor. Coal mining industry. Illinois.
Labor discipline. Arbitration, Industrial. Illinois.
Misconduct. Arbitration, Industrial. Illinois.
Misconduct. Coal mining industry. Illinois.
Strikes and lockouts. Coal mining industry. Illinois.
Trade-union dues. United States.
Trade-unions. Coal-miners. United States. Jurisdictional disputes.
Trade-unions. United States. Elections of officials.
Trade-unions. United States. Minority membership.
United Mine Workers of America.
Wages. Arbitration, Industrial. Illinois.
Wages. Coal mining industry. Illinois.
Wages. Coal mining industry. Indiana.
Wages. Coal mining industry. Ohio.
Work rules. Arbitration, Industrial. Illinois.
Work rules. Coal mining industry. Illinois.
Working conditions. Arbitration, Industrial. Illinois.
Working conditions. Coal mining industry. Illinois.

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