A Response to the Anthracite Coal Strike

President Theodore Roosevelt's decision to allow the federal government to intervene in the conflict between the labor union and operators was a beneficial decision that shifted the government's focus from capital and corporate interests to protecting citizens. At the turn of the 19th century, President Theodore Roosevelt was faced with a decision that would forever change the perception of labor in the United States. Labor workers, specifically mine workers, had begun protesting for equal rights regarding fair pay and reasonable working conditions. Before this period, workers were underpaid and far overworked; there was never a specific schedule or salary. These labor workers began to realize how unfair these working conditions were. Not only were they unfair, they were also highly unsafe. Many different parties and organizations were created to create awareness and go on strike against the government and mine operators. For a long time, the government had always taken the side of the mine operators and corporations. The corporations had this specific negative view of the labor workers; they disapproved of the strikes and protests, and if they were to give in, the corporations would lose money as they would have to pay the workers more. Despite public opinion supporting many of these protests and parties, the government still decided to side with the corporations due to the leverage the corporations had. The corporations had a large amount of leverage over the economy; therefore, the government sided with them to keep the economy thriving.

Due to this, the government never decided to intervene and stop these poor working conditions. With all that being said, at the turn of the 19th century, President Theodore Roosevelt realized the impact these strikes really began to cause. Roosevelt and the government started to realize that the strikes were leading to a much more significant issue than just violence; the country began to run short on coal. Due to all the strikes and people not working, the amount of coal produced was not enough for the upcoming winter. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, a leading Republican from Massachusetts, warned Roosevelt, "We are running straight on to what may become an overwhelming demand that the government take the mines – which would be an awful step." They even considered going as far as forcefully taking over the mines to get coal back into the market. This massive problem had to be solved soon.

Along with the rapidly growing problem of coal shortage, the government slowly began to realize that workers' rights were also at risk. During the commission on October 27th, 1902, that was held to create a compromise between the two sides, it was mentioned that "the annual earnings of the mine workers are insufficient to maintain the American standard of living," and it was agreed that anthracite mining was "perilous and extra hazardous." The dangers and unfairness of coal mining, along with the coal shortage for winter, made the government intervene. The government's intervention allowed the two sides of workers and operators to compromise. The mine workers received higher wages and shorter hours, which stopped the strikes. This allowed the miners to return to work and for coal to reenter the market for winter time. The government had finally begun to realize that the safety and well-being of the people were more important than corporate interests. The government needs to act on this problem, or else the safety and rights of the citizens will be in danger. By stepping in and making the two sides compromise, Roosevelt not only aided the well-being of his citizens and their rights but also saved the country from economic disruption and the wrath of wintertime.

1 -  David Moss, Marc Campansano, “Labor, Capital, and Government: The Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902”, Harvard Business School, (2018): Page #14

2 -  David Moss, Marc Campansano, “Labor, Capital, and Government: The Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902”, Harvard Business School, (2018): Page #16

3 -  David Moss, Marc Campansano, “Labor, Capital, and Government: The Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902”, Harvard Business School, (2018): Page #16