"Perry K. Blatz has written a solid account of labor-management relations in the anthracite coal fields. It is a study that vividly displays the dynamic interrelationship between capital, labor, and the state on a regional basis....It is well-researched, well-written, and a much-needed study of an important period of American labor history." --American Historical Review
"I heartily recommend this book, not just for those interested in learning more about the UMWA, or the anthracite coal industry, but for anyone who wants to know more about the sources of union growth in America." -- David Witwer, Lycoming College
Traces the history of work and labor relations in the anthracite coal industry, focusing on conditions surrounding the strike of 1902, the first instance of the federal government's intervention in a labor dispute. Covers unionization under the United Mine Workers of America, the evolving democratic tradition of rank-and-file protest against corpor