United Mine Workers of America Archive of Contracts and Constitutions Laying Out Wage Protections, Mine Safety, and Union Structure, 1918-1930

1918. [Labor Organizing] United Mine Workers of America archive, 1910s through 1930s, when the coal industry was being reshaped by mechanization, falling labor demand, and increasingly unstable operator finances. After the wartime expansion of coal production, mine operators pushed wage reductions and open shop policies while new machinery displaced large numbers of underground workers across Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The United Mine Workers of America responded through district agreements and local organizing campaigns that attempted to preserve wage protections and union jurisdiction across rapidly changing mining regions. This archive preserves those conflicts through UMWA District 1, 5, 11, and 19 material, including a 1918 transfer card issued to Frank Basbuch of Local 3168 in Drift, Pennsylvania, printed constitutions and agreements governing interstate coal fields, and three Peabody Coal Company Mine No. 43 payroll statements and original envelopes issued to Charles "Chas" Furlong in 1929 and 1930. The pay records preserve the everyday economics of Depression-era mining labor through deductions for rent, powder, lamps, union dues, and medical fees while district agreements record the larger institutional struggle over wages, hours, and safety in the bituminous coal industry.

Ten items, 1918-1930s, from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and related UMWA districts, consisting of transfer credentials, district constitutions, wage agreements, payroll statements, and company correspondence relating to interwar coal mining labor organization.

[1] United Mine Workers of America. Transfer Card issued to Frank Basbuch, Local Union No. 3168, Drift, Pennsylvania, 1918. Printed and manuscript union credential signed by local officers recording Basbuch's union standing buring the wartime expansion of Pennsylvania coal production. The transfer system allowed miners to move between districts while preserving dues status and union recognition.

[2] Agreement by and Between the Pittsburgh District Coal Operators and the United Mine Workers of America District No. 5. 1918-1920. Pittsburgh district agreement governing wages and labor relations between operators and UMWA District 5 during the immediate postwar coal settlement.

[3] Agreement Between the United Mine Workers of America of District 19 and the Coal Operators of Southeastern Kentucky and East Tennessee. 1920. Printed agreement for Appalachian coal fields where recognition, wage scales, and operator authority remained contested after wartime production demands.

[4] Constitution of the United Mine Workers of America District 19. 1920. District constitution setting out governance, membership rules, officer duties, and union procedure for southeastern Kentucky and East Tennessee miners.

[5] Constitution of District 1, the United Mine Workers of America. Scranton, Pennsylvania, revised 1921. Printed constitution for the anthracite district centered in northeastern Pennsylvania, issued from Scranton as the union faced postwar wage pressure and industrial reorganization.

[6] Contract District No. 11, United Mine Workers of America. 1920-1922. District 11 contract governing organized miners in Illinois during a period of intensified mechanization and unstable coal demand.

[7] Contract and Wage Schedules to April 1, 1923, District No. 11, United Mine Workers of America. 1922-1924. Printed contract and wage schedule extending District 11 bargaining terms through the early 1920s coal downturn.

[8] Peabody Coal Company. Mine No. 43 payroll statement issued to Charles "Chas" Furlong. October 1929. Printed payroll form itemizing earnings and deductions, including a line item for Furlong's union dues. With original envelope.

[9] Peabody Coal Company. Mine No. 43 payroll statement issued to Charles "Chas" Furlong. January 1930. Printed payroll form itemizing earnings and deductions, including a line item for Furlong's union dues. With original envelope.

[10] Peabody Coal Company. Mine No. 43 payroll statement issued to Charles "Chas" Furlong. March 1930. Printed payroll form itemizing earnings and deductions, including a line item for Furlong's union dues. With original envelope.

Folds, edge wear, toning, and scattered creasing throughout; payroll documents and envelopes with expected mailing wear and handling marks; printed booklets with moderate rubbing and age toning. Overall good condition.