ABSTRACT

Metal and coal miners in the United States developed sharply contrasting union political traditions. This chapter examines the political formation of working-class segments in terms of both the organization and practice of class relations. It explores employers' and miners' resources and contrasts strikes in the metal and bituminous coal mining industries from 1870 to 1905, encompassing the period when miners formed the political agendas of their unions. The chapter focuses on metal mining in Colorado and coal mining in Pennsylvania—two states where union organizational efforts were substantial, and the volume of mineral output was high. It suggests the missing link between industry and politics that can be addressed by placing industry-related variables within the framework of the resource mobilization theory of social movements. In the West, miners participated in more continuous conflict and experienced more explicit political repression than their colleagues in the East.