On January 23, 1890, the United Mine Workers of America formed. One of the most important labor unions in American history, examining the foundation of the UMWA is a window into the position and idea
On December 23, 1872, coal miners near Clearfield, Pennsylvania got into a fight with strikebreakers trying to mine coal during a strike. This minor moment in American labor history tells us a great d
Meet your newly confirmed Mine Safety and Health Administration head David Zatezalo: The coal mining company run by President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the nation’s top mining regulator has alr
Meet your new Mine Safety and Health Administration administrator nominee. Trump on Friday named David Zatezalo, the former chairman of Rhino Resources, to be an assistant secretary of Labor overseein
On December 30, 1970, a coal mine exploded on Hurricane Creek, near Hyden, Kentucky. Thirty-eight miners died that day, yet another example of the terrible safety conditions of coal mining, even at a
In writing about the horrors of child labor internationally, I frequently get people telling me that “these people are poor and all banning child labor does is take income away from families whe
In 1985, I took the first trip of my life. We drove from Oregon to Minnesota for a family reunion. For me, at that age, this was exciting. As we drove east on I-90, we stopped in Butte, Montana. There
Oh Don Blankenship. You are really a piece of work. Don Blankenship, the former CEO of Massey Energy who is currently serving a one-year sentence in federal prison for conspiring to violate safety sta