Harlan County, U.S.A Page #2

Year:
1976
755 Views


That thread might have been 15 cents.

A man goes on strike, I said, if they want 30

more cents on an hour They get their 30 cents.

When they go back to work,

they got to raise that price to cover that wage.

The unions is what's doin'it.

The unions is ruinin'

the United States.

I went to work when I was 10 years old

pickin' slate in the coal burner.

Well, at that time

we were workin' 10 hours a day...

And we were gettin'

six-and-a-fraction cents an hour.

Well, we breaker boys...

we'd have our feet in the chute

and we'd be pickin'the slate out...

when the breaker boss

would sneak up behind us.

And ifhe'd see a piece of slate

comin'through...

he'd pick up the slate and hit you

in the back with it, and hit you hard.

And he'd said, "Pick that slate up."

Well, they used to abuse us, actually.

Well, finally we got to a stage where we figured

that, well, we was gonna strike.

That was when I learned

my first real political lesson...

About what happens when you

take a position against the coal operators...

Against the capitalists.

Well, the first thing that happened...

The union officials came to us

and told us we'd have to go back to work...

That we were violating the agreement.

We said, "To hell with the agreement.

We're gonna strike until we get our demands."

Well, then the politicians began

visiting us and putting pressure on us.

Then the parish priests.

Well, finally the coal company

did agree to meet with us...

and they agreed

to raise the hourly pay...

from six-and-a-fraction cents

to eight cents an hour.

So we thought

we got big concessions.

Today that wouldn't mean anything.

That's only peanuts.

But it meant a whole lot to us

and our paycheck at that period.

Well, this was my first lesson

that if you stuck to your organization

and stuck together in solidarity...

You could defeat them.

Besides that, I learned that the politicians

worked with the coal companies.

I found out that the union officials

were working with the coal companies.

I also found out that the Catholic hierarchy

was working with the coal officials.

Here was a combination

of the whole thing, see

that you had to bump up

against the whole combination of them.

When the coal and iron police would find out

who was trying to instigate a union...

well, they'd abuse them.

The miners figured, well,

the only way they could fight back...

was to abuse them,

pay them for what they was doin'.

So they began to use, then, violence...

in retaliation of the violence

that was bein'used against them.

This kind of a struggle

went on to such a degree...

that there was many of the mine foremen

gettin'killed...

there was many of the police

gettin'killed...

and, of course,

there was many miners gettin'killed.

It was regular guerrilla warfare.

And some of the early ideas of guerrilla warfare

developed out of that kind of struggle.

The coal company gets every dollar

which he can chisel out of some coal miner...

through oppressive management tactics.

So why wouldn't the coal operators

be satisfied?

The government is acting

as their muscleman.

Tax money of Kentucky at work...

breakin'the organized labor.

Organized labor.

Organized labor.

Well, hell, I don't think they're in here

for anything except break the strike here.

They are for the company all the way,

for the operators.

I don't have any feelings one way or the other.

Just have a job to do.

- And why are you here?

- To keep the roads open.

Enforce laws, keep the peace,

try to keep people from gettin' hurt.

Move down here, please.

- Don't put your hands on me, hoss.

- All right.

"Bailey." You know, my name's Bailey,

and you're a damn disgrace to the Bailey family.

Boy, this is a damn shame.

A Bailey, y'all, a state cop. Ain't that a shame?

You wanna get a shot of somethin',

get a shot of this baby hangin' off him.

That's what I been lookin' at.

It's the same diameter as this right here.

Once a scab

There ain't no healin'for a scab.

You know?

- Hell, that's some nerve.

- Here they come.

There's the damn guy drawed that gun on me.

Right there. Right there.

You son of a b*tch, you.

Hey.

Get 'em outta here.

- Hey. That's goddamn wrong.

- That's the kind of goddamn law we got.

- Donny.

- They ask, you tell the people.

They'll set a while out back,

your two families.

Hey. Hey.

What in the hell you think you're doin'?

Scabbin' bastards.

- Go on, sucky.

- Hey, scab.

Hey, go on. Hey, go on.

Excuse me. Have some of my hand.

- Goddamn bastards.

- Goddamn scab sons ofbitches.

Hey.

Scabs.

All you guys on this injunction,

all 36 of you, remember this it's a court order.

You can't block the traffic,

and don't call 'em scabs.

- Why not?

- 'Cause if you do, you'll be behind bars.

I don't think

you'll never win a strike...

By havin' six people

on the picket line.

There's no way, I mean, that you can

win a strike with six pickets.

So you gotta violate these injunctions.

Lawyers are made to

get you out of trouble after you get in...

Not to get you out of trouble

before you get in.

I'll put it like this

you do what you wanna do.

Women all over the country

are interested in what their husbands are doin'.

They're interested in the safety laws

that the United Mine Workers have...

And they want their husbands

to have their pension funds.

They don't want their husbands

goin'into these scab mines...

with the rock a-fallin'and runnin'

these here motors with no brakes.

So, they want to participate.

They're ready and willing.

The good thing about our club is that now

we're giving them the chance to participate.

You see?

When their husbands goes in the mines,

they're prayin'that they'll get out.

I think that they feel like maybe their prayers

would have been answered sooner...

If they were workin'

under a U.M.W.A. contract.

Well, I went down there

in support of the miners...

For the miners...

And in support of my own children too

that I'm raisin' up.

Now, sit down real easy.

Sit down. Now, it's runnin' over.

- I can't get my foot

- Angie.

- I couldn't get my foot outta here.

- You're messin'.

- When will we be goin' to jail again?

- If the scab starts to cross the picket lines

We went because we was tryin' to protect

The scab was gonna take your daddy's job.

When they sign the contract,

Daddy's gonna have hot running water...

And a big ol' bathtub.

Let's help the striking miners now.

Come, all you coal miners

Wherever you may be

And listen to a story

That I'll relate to thee

My name is nothin' "extree"

But the truth to you I'll tell

I am a coal miner's wife

I'm sure I wish you well

They take your very lifeblood

They take our children's lives

Take fathers away from children

And husbands away from wives

Oh, miner, won't you organize

Wherever you may be

And make this a land of freedom

For workers like you and me

And we have to fight for our rights.

You gonna have to fight for that.

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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