…no walkout can strike a blow closer to the heart of an industrial economy than one in the coal mines.
The New York Times, 1946
The 1946 Coal Strike
On April 1, 1946, as a result of failed negotiations between the UMWA and coal operators concerning the implementation of new health and safety standards, 400,000 miners halted coal production in America in an organized nationwide strike. The protest ended after 2 months following the government's seizure of the mines and the negotiation of the Krug-Lewis Agreement.
The chief demand of Lewis is that a proposed health and welfare fund be created from an assessment on each ton of coal produced, to be administered by the union.
The Nome Nugget, 1946
During the past 14 years, Lewis stated, 28,000 miners have been killed and 1,400,000 have been injured.
Proletarec, 1946
Coal workers on strike in Gary, Indiana, c. 1946, Krim Vintage
Ramifications of the coal strike are being felt in all phases of production, from mills to plants to wholesalers to retailers right down to the basic objective of this whole productive process—the customer. In the Chicago area last week, for example, several industrialists were of the opinion that fuel shortages would necessitate partial shutdown
The New York Times, 1946
Some 35 or 40 joint meetings have been held between the operators and the miners, without agreement. The country is in desperate straits as a result of the recent strike of the coal miners. Coal must be gotten out of the ground. The whole life of the Nation has suffered from the coal strike, and will suffer increasingly if there is another stoppage.
President Truman, 1946
Government Calls Soft Coal Strike 'National
Disaster', 1946, The New York Times
Manufacturing plants are closing down all over the country as a result of the month-old soft coal strike. And yet the American people have barely begun to feel the full impact of this national disaster.
The Evening Star, 1946
Krug Takes Over, 1946, The New York Times
Damage
The 1946 coal strike resulted in critical lows in coal reserves, power cutbacks in cities, and a 50% reduction in steel production. Although the UMWA sought important health and safety reforms, the strike and its damage outraged the public, with newspapers denouncing the union.
Coal Strike Ended, c. 1946, Internet Archive
We will do the best job we can and we know that any kind of a deal we make will be subject to intensive criticism from all sides. We know the miners will think that because they are working for the Government they will be at a disadvantage but we will do the best we can.
Julius Krug, 1946
Banner image citation: Helen coal miners 1947, 1947, National Park Service