On March 8, 1924, a series of explosions occurred at the Castle Gate coal mine in Carbon County, Utah. The first blast was attributed to inadequate watering down of the coal dust from the previous shift’s operations. A fire boss was investigating methane gas near the roof of the mine when his lamp went out. He attempted to relight the lamp with a match which ignited gas and coal dust, setting off a chain reaction of explosions in the mine, killing 172 miners. The disaster left 110 widows with 264 children. There were no survivors.

The force of the explosion was so powerful it launched a mining car, telephone pole, and other equipment nearly a mile from the entrance of the mine. “Safety laws were all but nonexistent when this horrible explosion occurred a century ago,” said President Roberts.

“After the disaster, the government reviewed safety laws and created amendments and resolutions to make mines safer. This included funding for mine inspectors, requiring coal dust to be cleaned from abandoned rooms, and many others. These new procedures by no means stopped other mining disasters, but they did help improve the safety of the mines,” Roberts said.

“Castle Gate is the second worst mining disaster in Utah’s history,” said International District 22 Vice President Mike Dalpiaz. “The United Mine Workers started organizing in Utah around 1933 and this tragedy helped the union in that effort because miners wanted safety laws enacted.”

“The nationalities of the men killed in the explosion were Greek, Italian, English, Welsh, Japanese and Austrian. Ironically, our union was established by immigrants from all over the world who wanted to form a union, and that’s what the UMWA did in the years following this terrible tragedy; a tragedy that did not have to happen,” Dalpiaz said.

Relief Fund for the Victim’s Families

Immediately following the aftermath of the explosion, the Red Cross arrived at the scene to help the victims’ families. The governor at the time, Charles R. Mabey, realizing the community would need additional relief, called for public subscription to a relief fund for widows and children. He formed a committee to distribute $132,445.13 that was collected for the aid of the 417 individuals who were left without support following the disaster.

The committee hired a social worker to assess needs and disburse funds. The families did not receive disbursements from the fund for over three months after the disaster because it took time to gather the money from various banks across the state. The fund expired in December 1935, and the committee held its last meeting on January 12, 1936.

Today, a granite and bronze monument is located in the canyon north of Helper to mark the general location of the explosion. The Castle Gate cemetery, which contains many of the victim’s graves, sits east of the canyon.

The UMWA has a long history of honoring its members at funeral services and providing support for families after losing a loved one. Members of the UMWA Chaplain Corps volunteer their time and come together to honor a fallen brother or sister with a traditional UMWA burial service.

An excerpt of the burial service that provides a solemn tribute states, “And now, our fellow worker, we pay the last sad rite and tribute of respect, the last one we can pay you in this world, placing on your grave these evergreens as a token of respect, that thy memory shall be with us always, though thou hast paid the debt and hast gone to the realms above.”

“The UMWA burial service is one of the most sincere tributes we can give to our fallen brothers and sisters after they have passed and provides comfort to their families,” said President Roberts.

“Unfortunately, I have attended more services for our fallen brothers and sisters than I can count,” Roberts said. “Coal miners have paid a tremendous debt to our country, and they should be honored with dignity upon their passing. The ceremony given by members of the UMWA’s Chaplain Corps is a selfless and heartfelt tribute given to families in their deepest hours of grief.”

Sub-District 28 Deep Roots and Still Going Strong

In the early days of coal mining in southwest Virginia, a small group of members would attend funeral services and wear UMWA ribbons while conducting the ceremony. Participation declined over the years but Sub-District 28 members have revitalized the old tradition. There was originally a Chaplain group in the Jewel Ridge, Richlands and Grundy area, along with a group in the Castlewood, Coeburn, Big Stone Gap area. In 2016, the groups were merged as one unit and brainstormed new ideas of how to conduct ceremonies going forward.

“We meet monthly, and we are always fine-tuning things,” said Local Union 1259 Financial Secretary Ken Holbrook. “The service we provide to families has been in our Constitution for over 100 years. Today, we all wear matching UMWA shirts and hard hats with a light attached.”

At the end of each ceremony, the family is presented with a Bible and a hard hat. “The hard hat is something we thought the family could put on a mantle. We have the member’s name and local union number put on it. It’s something they can keep in remembrance of their loved one,” Holbrook said.

During the service, one member reads from the burial service, another presents the Sub-District 28 banner and the rest of the group wait with the lights of their hard hats on. The Corps has performed 243 services since 2015. The group meets monthly and has expanded to more than forty members.

District 20 Comforts Grieving Families

District 20’s Chaplain Corps was co-founded in 1997 by Local Union 2133 member and pastor Elbert Jones, Sr., former District 20 President Rex Tanner and the Reverend Leroy Oliver, also of Local Union 2133. They never envisioned their services would be so valuable to the families of Brookwood so soon after their formation.

When explosions occurred on September 13, 2001, at the Jim Walters Resources No. 5 mine in Brookwood, Alabama, members of the District 20 Chaplain Corps were there to lend their comfort and support to the victim’s families. No one could foresee the magnitude of the mine explosions and the impact it  would have on nearly everyone in the close-knit community.

The explosion at No. 5 mine was a shock to the entire Brookwood community. The horrific disaster took 13 miners’ lives, and the loss to the community is  still felt today.

“After the mine explosions, no one knew what to do. The whole area was kind of in shock,” said International District 20 Vice President Larry Spencer.

“Everyone was offering support and prayers,”  Spencer said. “The Chaplain Corps was working closely with other pastors and counselors to assist the victim’s families. I honestly don’t know how we all would have made it through that difficult time without them.”

It’s More Than a Service; It’s an Honor

Local Union 1760 and Vice Commander of Sub-District 28 Chaplain Corps Danny Dye is humbled by his experience with the Corps over the years. “It’s the last thing we can do to show our respect to our brother or  sister when they pass,” Dye said.

“An evergreen is everlasting. Those who have passed on may be gone, but they will be remembered. They will not be forgotten. It’s an honor to do this for the families,” Dye said.

Dave Laurie, a member of Local Union 1058 in District 31,has been a part of the UMWA Chaplain Corps for several years. He remembers when President Roberts first asked him if he wanted to be a part of the  Chaplain Corps. “At first, I didn’t want to do it because I thought there might be other people more deserving than I was,” said Laurie.

“After talking to my wife and my dear friend Fred Myers, they convinced me that  I should do it. I am glad I did. I am a proud member of our union, and it really meant a lot to me. I’ve been honored to give invocations at several UMWA meetings over the years and have had the opportunity to counsel my fellow brothers and sisters during their difficult times.” Laurie said.

“Our UMWA Chaplain Corps is always there, providing a service to our members who are in need of prayers, counseling and in times of bereavement,” said President Roberts. “ These champions of humanity are always there to help their fellow miners and their families. I thank them for their dedication and commitment to not only the United Mine Workers of America but to every family that has been touched by their remarkable deeds.”

UMWA Chaplain Corps Members

District 2: A.J. Byers

District 12: Billy Smith, Mike Higgerson, Carl Shomate

Sub-District 28: Arnold Campbell, Bill Hale, Bill Richardson,
Bobby Dye, Bruce Baldwin, Cecil Dye, Charlie Vandyke,
Danny Dye, Danny Horton, Darrell Hess, Dean Vance,
Doug Shepherd, Eddie Lockhart, Freasure McGlothlin,
Greg Austin, Harold Harris, Harvey Hess, Henry Shortridge,
James Brown, James Lester, Jerry Dye, Jerry Owens,
Jerry Willis, Jim Hall, Josh West, Ken Holbrook, Larry Kilgore,
Larry Whited, Lee Potter, Lowell Yates, Phillip Keene,
Ralph Rife, Roger Jessee, Roy Sauls, Sam Hughes,
Stan Compton, Steve Wallace, Tommy Parrott, Tony Owens,
James “Snuffy” Smith, Lowell Bise, Jerry Stallard,
Freddie Wallace

District 20: Reverand Joe Craig Weldon, Sister Margaret
Martin, Pastor James Landers (Cadillac), Reverand Bo Jones,
Reginald Mann

District 22: Lou Shelley

District 31: Jack Rinehart, Ron Raber, Dave Laurie

Struggle & Win

Editor’s Note:

Keeping the UMWA’s history alive and relevant is a critical part of the union’s service to its members. If we do not know our history, then the harsh realities we overcame in the past cannot serve to guide us today. That is why we remember events like the Ludlow Massacre, the Farmington Mine Disaster, the Blair Mountain March, Davis Day and so many more.

Telling the incredible stories of the brave men and women who built our union is not just an exercise in research, it is an opportunity for us to learn how battles were won and what it takes to win them again.

Starting with this issue of the UMW Journal and continuing throughout 2024, we will recapture the last half century of our union’s victories and struggles. We’re calling the series Project 50: Struggle and Win.

UMWA’s 45th Consecutive Constitutional Convention

In September, 1968, the UMWA’s 45th Consecutive Constitutional Convention was taking place at the Denver Hilton. With nearly 2,000 delegates and 1,700 resolutions, the convention was iconic.

It was the first time  in the UMWA’s history that a presidential candidate would address the membership. Hubert H. Humphrey, a staunch friend and supporter of working people, chose the UMWA convention to kick start his official battle to win over labor votes.

International Secretary-Treasurer Owens announced to the delegates that the International Union was in the best financial condition in history with assets of over $86 million.

Dr. Lorin E. Kerr,  Assistant to the Executive Medical Officer of the UMWA Welfare and Retirement Funds and a recognized authority in coal miners’ dust diseases, presented an important paper on coal workers’ pneumoconiosis: The Road to a Dusty Death. The convention acted on a resolution that kicked off an all-out drive to bring a solution to the dust problems in American coal miners.

UMWA President Tony Boyle, in his closing remarks, said, “This union is going forward and forward and is going to be stronger and bigger than it was when I took office. I will have to use new techniques. I will have to use new ideas. And that is just exactly what I am going  to do.”

In 1968, when Boyle spoke those words in front of his fiery delegation, no one could have known how true his words really were, nor the horrific set of circumstances that happened next.

Farmington No. 9 Mine Explosion and the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969

It’s now been 55 years since 99 miners entered Consolidation Coal Company’s Farmington No. 9 Mine around midnight to begin their shift. At approximately 5:30 a.m. a massive explosion occurred. engulfing the miners inside. A series of explosions would occur thereafter. Twenty-one miners survived the initial blast and escaped. The other 78 miners were trapped inside. The lives of an entire community were forever changed.

The United States Bureau of Mines was immediately notified of the explosion. The first representative of the agency arrived at approximately 6:30 a.m. He issued two imminent danger orders for a mine explosion and a continuing mine fire. The orders restricted access to all underground areas of the mine except for necessary personnel approved by the parties involved in rescue and recovery efforts. Later that morning, UMWA mine rescue teams, state and federal mine inspectors, company personnel and representatives of the union arrived at the mine.

A day later, President Boyle arrived at the mine site and said to members of the press, “We have not given up hope. I came down here today not to give orders as to how the work should be conducted but more to make a showing here today on behalf of cooperation. This happens to be, in my judgement, as President of the United Mine Workers of America, one of the better companies to work with as far as cooperation and safety are concerned.”

Nothing was further from the truth, and those words didn’t sit well with the trapped miner’s families and members of the close-knit community. The small town of Farmington had never experienced what was bestowed upon them like a tornado.

News media from across the nation received word of the massive explosion and that 78 miners were still trapped underground. They flocked to the site, their cameras recording the smoke billowing from the mine
shafts and the grieving families.

It was the first time in history the effects of a coal mine explosion on family members and their community were televised across the country. They reported extensively on the disaster and without that coverage, Farmington may have been yet another unnoticed and forgotten mine explosion.

For nearly a week, all families could do was watch TV coverage, wait and pray for a miracle that never came. On November 29, the day after Thanksgiving, a meeting was held by officials who were working on the rescue and recovery operations. It was determined that all efforts to rescue trapped miners had been unsuccessful, air samples that were collected indicated the atmosphere could not support life and because of the fires still burning in the mine, further explosions were imminent.

Entrance into the mine from any location would not be possible and the only alternative would be to seal the mine. The news of sealing the mine was unbearable for family members to digest. The reality that their  loved ones were never coming home had just begun to sink in.

After the mine was unsealed, ten days after the explosion, the bodies of 57 of the trapped miners were recovered. Nineteen never were, and they remain entombed in the mine. Widows, children and family members were grief-stricken but collectively decided they needed to do something so that others would not meet the same fate as their loved ones. They banded together and started demanding reform to anyone who would listen and to those who wouldn’t.

Congress Passes the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act

These grieving individuals, with the support of the UMWA, attended meetings in Washington, DC to testify at hearings on Capitol Hill. They lobbied members of Congress relentlessly.

Their efforts to better protect future miners came to fruition on December 30, 1969, with the signing of the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act (Coal Act). It was a bittersweet victory. Their efforts would help save the lives of other miners and protect other families from suffering the horrors they had just experienced. But their loved ones still would never return home.

“November 20, 1968, was a day that brought great grief and pain to miners and their families,” said President Roberts. “The Farmington No. 9 tragedy and the horror of its aftermath was flashed on television screens
across the United States for all to see.

“For the first time, the American public saw what we in the coalfields always saw, which was that this industry was deadly, and the government did nothing about it,” Roberts said. “They witnessed the sorrow and pain of family members whose lives were devastated. It forced the nation to look at people who worked in the nation’s mines differently.

“In 2019, we held a special 50th year commemoration of the tragedy,” Roberts said. “What I said during that memorial service — and it will be true until the end of time — is that 50 years does not wash away the pain or fill the void of losing a family member. There is no amount of time that can heal those deep wounds.

“But we can take some solace in the fact that those brave miners did not die in vain. Because of their sacrifice and the determination of the family members, thousands of miners and their families have been spared a similar fate. Without their efforts, the Coal Act may have never been passed,” Roberts said.

President Roberts Begins His Coal Mining Career

On the heels of the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act being passed, a young man fresh back from Vietnam began his coal mining career in 1971, working various underground mining jobs at Carbon Fuel’s No. 31 mine  in Winifrede, West Virginia. That young man was a sixth-generation coal miner from Cabin Creek, West Virginia, Cecil E. Roberts, Jr.

Roberts was no stranger to coal mining or the UMWA. His great uncle was Bill Blizzard, a legendary union organizer during the Mine Wars and the leader of the union forces at the Battle of Blair Mountain. His father was a stalwart UMWA member.

He rose through the union’s hierarchy relatively quickly. He was active in his local union and District 17. In 1977, he was elected Vice President of District 17. Five years later he ran as the International Vice President candidate on the ‘Why Not the Best?’ slate with Richard L. Trumka and John Banovic. On November 9, 1982, the Trumka, Roberts, Banovic slate was elected by a 2-to-1 margin.

“There are plenty of books, UMW Journals and newspaper clippings about our history, especially the Mine Wars, the John L. Lewis era and Mother Jones,” Roberts said. “But it is up to us to make sure we secure our  place in the history books for what we have accomplished in the last 50 years, and that’s what Project 50 is all about.

“Thirty, forty or fifty years from now we don’t want anyone to forget that the Coal Act was passed or how we won the strike against the Pittston Coal Company,” Roberts said. “We don’t want people to forget that our retirees took on bankruptcy judges, Wall Street raiders and walked the halls of Congress for years to get legislation passed for pensions and healthcare. No one thought we would win, but we did.

“No one else is going to tell our story for us. It’s up to us to preserve it, share it and educate others about that history, good and bad,” Roberts said.

UMWA Election Year: Yablonski Murders and How the Expulsion of District 50 Played a Role

Tony Boyle was reelected to office on December 9, 1969, along with George Titler and John Owens. Boyle’s opponent for president, Joseph “Jock” Yablonski, filed charges disputing the election results as fraudulent.  On New Year’s Eve, just a few weeks after the election, “Jock” Yablonski, his wife Margaret and daughter Charlotte were murdered in their Pennsylvania home. Jock’s son, Ken, went to check on his father in  Clarksville, Pennsylvania and found the grisly scene. His mother, father and sister were killed in their bedrooms. Tires to their cars had been slashed and the phone lines to the house had been cut. Early in the  investigation, law enforcement believed more than one person was involved in the triple homicide. Investigators ultimately uncovered a conspiracy that stretched to Boyle himself. The criminal warrant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania stated that Boyle said to Albert Pass, president of District 19 and loyalist to Boyle, “Yablonski ought to be killed or done away with.” Shortly after, District 19 received $20,000 for a research fund from the union. Checks were cut to retirees who cashed them and gave the money to Pass who used the money as payment for murder of Yablonski and his family members.

Boyle had become cozy with mine owners, as evidenced by his late arrival at the Farmington No. 9 mine disaster and praise of the company’s safety record. Boyle had removed Yablonski from his position as District 5  president in 1965. He had 100,000 extra ballots printed to be stuffed in the ballot box. Two weeks before the ballots were to be counted, Pass told Boyle the vote totals from District 19; he had won the district and the election.

In April, 1970, Miners for Democracy was formed to continue reform efforts championed by Yablonski and to have the 1969 election invalidated. A judge eventually threw out the election results and set new elections  in 1972. Boyle was challenged and lost to Arnold Miller. Boyle was ultimately arrested and convicted of conspiracy in the Yablonski murders. He was one of nine people who went to prison for the killings. Miller was  a miner from West Virginia and struggled with Black Lung. He became a strong advocate for miners with the disease and led efforts in Washington, DC to persuade Congress to strengthen dust regulations in mines, culminating with an amended Coal Act in 1977 that created the Mine Safety and Health Administration and set respirable dust limits. Miller resigned on November 16, 1979 due to poor health relating to black lung. He passed away in July, 1985.

Sam Church, Jr., New UMWA President

Upon the resignation of President Miller, Vice President Sam Church, Jr., assumed the leadership on November 16, 1979, per the union’s constitution. Church was the son of a disabled coal miner and worked in the  mines as an electrician and mechanic for Clinchfield Coal Company.

In 1981, Church led the union on a two-month nationwide coal strike. After a tentative agreement was rejected by the membership, he negotiated a new contract that included improvements in benefits. Staring at  reelection in 1982, Church set his campaign in motion. Challenging Church and his slate was the ‘Why Not The Best?’ slate of Trumka, Roberts and Banovic. It was a hard fought and bitter campaign. Church lost the election but remained active in the union, going back to work in the mines and serving as coordinator for Virginia’s COMPAC. Church passed away on July 14, 2009 after complications from surgery. “Sam was a good friend and a good union man,” Roberts said. “He never stopped fighting to restore the right to organize, for better health care for working families and for safety in the workplace. Even though we ran against each other in the 1982 election, we were always able to see eye to eye when it came to the best interests of the UMWA. We lost a great friend and labor leader when we lost Sam Church,” Roberts said.

The Journal:

You have just been elected to your seventh five-year term, after already being recognized as the longest serving officer in UMWA history. How do you feel?

President Roberts:

I feel extremely blessed. I want to thank Brian Sanson, members of the International Executive Board and District Representatives and congratulate them on their election. I also want to thank the membership for giving us this opportunity and entrusting us with this great responsibility.

The Journal:

Speaking of the election, this is Secretary-Treasurer Brian Sanson’s first official term. What makes Brian a good fit for this role and what impact do you see him having for workers and their families?

President Roberts:

I appointed Brian as Secretary-Treasurer in 2021 with the approval of the International Executive Board, and he has now been elected to a full term. Brian is extremely intelligent and has worked very hard on behalf of the members of this union for many years. He established and ran the Patriot VEBA, which paid health care benefits for thousands of retirees while we fought to win the pension and retiree health care legislation in Congress. He has learned under the guidance of the most knowledgeable negotiators in the UMWA and has participated in significant sets of negotiations we have had.

Most importantly, Brian has the ability to step into the President’s role if that need ever arises. I hope it won’t anytime soon! But if it does he can do the job.

The Journal:

Many people have lost their jobs, benefits or both in the past few years due to companies using bankruptcy laws to get out of obligations to workers and retirees. Can you speak a little on that?

President Roberts:

Bankruptcy is a terrible plague in this country. Workers who have worked for companies for 40-plus years are losing their jobs. Retirees who were promised health care and a pension suddenly have those benefits stripped away by a bankruptcy judge.

We have laws in this country that are supposed to protect workers, but it turns out that bankruptcy law overrides labor law. Unions are having to fight tooth and nail to provide the benefits our members thought were guaranteed by law. What’s wrong with workers asking for what was promised to them by the corporations they work for? A promise is a promise, especially when it is written into a collective bargaining agreement.

Furthermore, what is the point of securing legislation if members of Congress can create new laws to get rid of those promises? We need politicians who will protect workers and fight to change these bankruptcy and labor laws that are destroying the labor movement in this country.

The Journal:

The workers at Warrior Met in Alabama were on strike for almost two years, going back to work last spring. What is the current status?

President Roberts:

We have secured the jobs of strikers who have not secured jobs elsewhere. Many obtained jobs at one of the other union mines in the area and others got employment elsewhere and decided not to go back to Warrior Met.

It’s important to remember that the entire Alabama political and judicial structure supported Warrior Met Coal. They have not only allowed, but aided in, the recruitment of coal miners from out of state to replace Alabama workers. The governor ordered the state police to escort scabs across the picket line. Judges prevented our members from picketing at mine entrances. The state legislature passed laws that were aimed at destroying the right to strike.

In June, 2023, more than two years after we filed unfair labor practice charges against the company, a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) judge found Warrior Met guilty of not bargaining in good faith. Even so, they are still not bargaining in good faith, nor is the NLRB handing down any penalties for not doing so.

We have kept our promise to the workers who were unfairly terminated by the company by continuing to fight until we get every member back to work. We will not be silenced until this issue gets resolved in favor of the workers at Warrior Met.

The Journal:

The members of Local Union 717 in Ilion, New York, have been dealt more devastating news recently. What is the current status of Remington Arms?

President Roberts:

The Ilion, New York plant has been providing jobs and fueling the local economy since the 1800s. In June, 2023, Local Union 717 members ratified a new contract that brought an end to our struggle to preserve jobs at Remington, that began when Remington filed bankruptcy in 2020. But now, just a few months later, the company has decided to abandon the plant in Ilion and move to a new location in Georgia.

This is frankly outrageous. Moving an entire plant takes months and years of planning. The company had to know this was coming, but they never said a word about it at the bargaining table. That’s bad faith bargaining, but once again the laws in our country are failing workers and their families. There needs to be legal repercussions placed on companies in situations like this and there just isn’t. We have filed unfair labor practice charges against the company, so we will have to see where that leads.

The Journal:

Black lung disease has been plaguing coal miners for decades. We know how to prevent it, yet miners are still getting it. What is the status of our fight for workers regarding this devastating illness?

President Roberts:

There has been an alarming rise in pneumoconiosis, or black lung disease, in younger miners. To this day, there is no cure for the most deadly form of progressive massive fibrosis, other than a lung transplant costing up to one million dollars.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration is in the final stages of creating a Rule that will, for the first time, put limits on the amount of silica dust that can be in a mine atmosphere. Silica causes the most severe form of Black Lung. The new Rule will be good protection for workers to have to fight coal companies that don’t follow the law.

Workers are encouraged to stand up for health and safety issues on the job, and the union will be right beside them. And this is another example of why politics matters to workers. We need to have people in office who will supportus and help us keep our jobs safe.

The Journal:

What does you foresee for 2024?

President Roberts:

We can’t look at where we are going without first looking at where we have been. Securing the healthcare and pensions for 100,000 retirees was a massive victory for the union and we are proud of that accomplishment. But these issues are not going to go away. What Congress does, Congress can undo. The same goes for state legislatures. This is an election year. People need to remember who is on the side of the workers and vote accordingly.

Bankruptcy laws and labor laws continue to change in favor of corporations and against workers. The labor movement needs to be prepared for those battles. I know the UMWA remains a fighting union with the greatest members in the world and who understand the importance of workers’ rights. We will continue to face every battle head on to provide workers and their families with the health care, pensions and safe working environment they deserve.

The Journal:

Is there anything else you would like to add?

President Roberts:

In the words of John L. Lewis, “I derive my strength from the membership of the UMWA.” We have lost many good union men and women this past year, members who were stalwart fighters for this union. The UMWA sends our thoughts and prayers to the families of those lost loved ones.

Our members remain the American troops of the labor movement. They have boarded on buses year after year, traveled from city to city, and walked mile upon mile in the halls of Congress. We will continue to fight when and where we have to on behalf of our members. May God bless every UMWA member and their families.