What happened to Billy C Bruner? Mr. Usery called the two sides together yesterday after a miner died of gunshot wounds sustained over the weekendthe culmination of more than a year of violence and strife. Some picketers carried weapons that they did not use. The women got a car that they called the Booster Car, which was a big station wagon and they pushed it across the railroad tracks so that the strikebreakers with Basil Collins couldnt get through to get to the mine. I remember Aronson from the 1980s -- a big wheel in the contra propaganda apparatus. The incidents involved coal miners and union organizers on one side, and coal firms and law enforcement officials. Rank-and-file miners responded with a series of wildcat strikes, in 1964, 1966, and 1971, and in 1969 they won the great West Virginia Black Lung Strike, one of the few political strikes in US history. In your mind you're on one side or the other. Although CWP may share many of the symptoms of emphysema and/or chronic bronchitis (which are also known as COPD), CWP is not COPD and is not treated like COPD. IN william F Whifinger Box 2*5. LANGUAGES SPOKEN English. The incidents involved coal miners and union organizers on one side and coal firms and law enforcement officials on the other. The miners lay in ambush for cars delivering materials to strikebreakers and shot at them. Whenever somebody refers to the readers of a blog as "you people", you can bet there's a barrel full of fish coming next. Shortly after Jones' death, 29 August 1974, the Eastover Mining Company offered a contract to the striking workers. Her presence, and the presence of her video camera, is believed to be a factor in decreasing the violence used against the strikers. Most are missing a minimum of one and sometimes more vital amino acids your Pom needs.Lots of today's dog foods (including the costly, popular . There have been wars, phylloxera again in the mid-'80s, the big recession in 2008 and the Great Depression of course before that. Afterward I tore a sheet from a calendar on the wall and wrote the words to 'Which Side Are You On?' Here is an edited version of that conversation. Harlan, city, seat of Harlan county, southeastern Kentucky, U.S., in the Cumberland Mountains, on the Clover Fork Cumberland River. During the 20th century, it was often a center of labor strife between coal mine owners and union workers, especially in the Harlan County War of the 1930s. The . </p> <p>Buy Gift Cards. On September 29, troops were dispatched on behalf of the miners for the first time in the Harlan County War, the governor referring to the beatings and harassment at the hands of the mine guards as "the worst reign of terror in the history of the county. IN PROSECUTING ATTORNEY FOR THE 54TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT CONSISTING OF THE COUNTY OF KOSCIUSKO Michael L Miner R 2. Barbara Kopple: I dont know. Mr. Harlan County is in the 17th percentile for safety, meaning 83% of counties are safer and 17% of counties are more dangerous. Harlan is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Harlan County, Kentucky, United States. Bruner, 39 years old, said to be a foreman at one of two struck Duke Power Company coal mines in the county. What happened to Bill Bruner . A Harlan County man has been charged after his girlfriend was found dead in his home, according to court records. No one knows who fired the first shot but when it was over four were deadthree deputies and one miner with several more wounded. Mr. Bruner was shot by someone in the crowd when he tried to leave. Another factor in the strike was the presence of Barbara Kopple, a journalist who made a documentary Harlan County, USA about the struggle. Although these miners today have no union, the mines of Harlan County have a storied history of grassroots labor militancy. In the boldest example, we see a defiant Tony Boyle, president of United Mine Workers, sneering at his rivals in the late sixties before his indictment for bribery and murder; later, we see him, a shriveled figure in a wheelchair, being carried into the court for his trial in 1974, an event that took place after the Brookside strike was over. In the muted aftermath, the company concedes to sign a contract, but even that victory is temporary. What a buncha Nazi evildoers! "The Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane" - Fiddlin' John Carson (Okeh 4890) (1923) 2. Barbara Kopple: Yes, to the picket line where they were bringing in the scabs. Shot in the face with a shotgun. [Bloody] Harlan County was happening, so I went and stayed there for 13 months. The song Which Side Are You On? became the anthem of a reborn United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) union in the 1930s, then an anthem for [], A journal of theory and strategy published by Jacobin, Taking Back Left Parties From the Brahmins, occupying a railroad track to halt a coal train, Miners and their families responded by occupying the railroad tracks. . Welcome to Beba's world: we're all just visiting. The replacement workers often drove through the picket lines, injuring the striking workers. Updated November 23, 2021 12:21 PM. Use of violence was never sanctioned nor forbidden by leadership. https://povmagazine.com/kingston-canadian-film-festival-announces-2023-line-up/. The coal miners, lean and tough from Kentucky mountain life, knew how to fight back. Reacting to the unrest created within Harlan's impoverished labor force, the United Mine Workers of America (UMW) attempted to organize the county's miners. Barbara Kopple: A 10-minute reel of 16-millimeter film. Because the reels only recorded 10 minutes, were there times when you hesitated to turn on the camera because, Oh my God, this is costing us.. The question is back: Which Side Are You On?. [4]:5688 Their attempts at strikes, while weak in surrounding counties, were utter failures in Harlan, where only a fraction of the workforce walked out in 1931 and 1932. POV Magazine He works in Atlanta, GA and 4 other locations and specializes in Neurological Surgery and Orthopedic Spine Surgery. (Florence Reece appears in the film.) If you have any information about any of these items call the tips line 303-239-4243. I had a purpose and I could ask questions and I felt okay. IN Lowell W Smith R I. Urbarva. Harlan miners started to organize in the 1920s, a struggle that culminated in a long and violent strike in 1931. Eastover agreed to a speedy election for union representation at its High Splint mine in Evarts, about 10 miles from the Brookside mine. Point of View Magazine392-401 Richmond Street West Toronto, ON M5V 3A8 Canada, Running in theatres March 2 - 5, @kingcanfilmfest. She talks about incidents of violence during the standoff. In 1969, Tony Boyle was challenged for the UMWA presidency by Jock . For coal miners, having a union is still the most important thing, just as it was in the 1930s, the 1950s, and the 1970s . Youre not really supposed to do that, but they did, and it was very filmic. Barbara Kopple: Yes, and he would hire the scabs that would cross the picket line who were trying to break up having a union. Lastly, of course, is the gruesome slaying of striking miner Lawrence Jones by scab Bill Bruner. Barbara Kopple: We were all in a meeting. You think you have a certain idea, but you have to let that leave your mind and let whatever happens happen and just go with it. "Bloody Harlan" redirects here. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Maybe you can tell us how you started Harlan County. Along with opposing the UMWA union, Eastover management also wanted a 'no-strike' clause to be included in any final contract. We Be Here When Morning Comes: Bryan Woolley 9. Striking miners in the coalfields of southern West Virginia forced the Republican governor to sign a bill that allowed compensation for black lung disease. They had invited executives from Duke Power and Eastover Mining to meet with them, but they refused. I had a purpose. (Robert Gumpert / Appalshop Archive). If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Sad. Registered users can login to the website. She talks about elections in Harlan County and how they are intrinsically connected to the coal industry. In Episode 2 of the The Drunk Projectionist, producer and host Todd Melby interviewed Barbara Kopple about Harlan County USA, her impressive first film.The 1976 documentary won an Academy Award. People who live in Harlan County generally consider the north part of the county to be the safest. He has also contributed to such publications as Variety, Cinema Scope, Screen, and Entertainment Weekly, as well as broadcast outlets CBC and National Public Radio. Organizers were shot at, their homes gassed. What this means is that Harlan County as a political unit and cultural construct is that old; however, the history of modern Harlan County begins with the movement of people of European origin along with, in many instances, the people of African origin whom they held enslaved into southwest Virginia . Does Kopple go overboard in portraying the Appalachian proletariat as so socially progressive? I guess also because I was doing sound. August 2012) Prescribed by Treasury Department Treasury Dept . "Harlan County" won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1977, but it had been years since the film was shown on the big screen. "Silly Bill"/"Old Time Cinda" - The Hill Billies Barbara Kopple: I never felt that. On 24 August 1974 a mine supervisor named Billy C. Bruner shot and killed a 23-year-old striker, Lawrence D. Jones. Dr. Harlan Bruner, MD . The strikers reported attempted bribery to denounce the union, being shot at numerous times, having dynamite thrown at them, shots fired into their homes, and constant verbal threats. Harlan County was fighting for the right to have a union. I didnt feel anything. Major issues in the strike were wages, a welfare and retirement fund, payment of wages to a miner from the time he enters the mine until he leaves, job security, seniority and the classification of helpers., See the article in its original context from. Kopple unfolds the story with ellipses, flashbacks and digressions. 2.54. [4]:81123, Where the NIRA had been toothless in Harlan, the Wagner Act of 1935 proved itself a far greater thorn in the side of Harlan County's mine operators. that's too bad. Leave a review. Hennen writes that " [b]y late 1931, four thousand Harlan County miners, more than one in three, were out of work. At that point a young UMW staffer named Bernie Aronson, part of the union reform movement, appears: As I watched this I thought: Bernie AronsonBernie Aronsonwhere have I seen that name before? Murdered while on a picket line in Harlan County KY, After his death an agreement was signed between the miners and the union! Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Boy, "The Overthrow Them Governments" business must pay pretty good and the work looks fairly steady. (Kopple says she and her crew were beaten until the strikers rescued them.) From the heights, we immediately crash to the lowest point when 23-year-old Lawrence Jones is murdered by the company gun thugs, leaving a 16-year-old wife and infant child. It takes place in 1974 and follows a strike by Kentucky coal miners, as well as efforts by UMW reformers to kick out the union's corrupt president, Tony Boyle. Harlan miners started to organize in the 1920s, a struggle that culminated in a long and violent strike in 1931. Martin County, Kentucky Currently, Martin Countys population is one of the poorest in the United States. I can't understand how people sell out so completely. Thompson and the Making of the New Left. The U.M.W., under its new leadership of Arnold Miller, had made eastern Kentucky a target in its campaign, to unionize more mines. Barbara Kopple: That was that scene, and little did I realize that he was very tough, and all the people told me after, Youre in big trouble now!. The Brookside strike is vividly recounted in Barbara Kopples masterpiece, the documentary Harlan County, USA. An incredible woman named Florence Reece wrote a song called Which Side Are You On? and it pertains to almost every single struggle, whether its a labor struggle or something else. CEO Don Blankenship was convicted of willfully violating safety standards and spent a year in prison. The 2010 disaster at Massey Energys Upper Big Branch Mine at Montcoal, West Virginia, cost twenty-nine lives. The Harlan County War, or Bloody Harlan, was a series of coal mining-related skirmishes, executions, bombings, and strikes (both attempted and realized) that took place in Harlan County, Kentucky, during the 1930s. I visited Harlan in 1974 with a contingent from the British miners union. The strikers received some of the highest strike benefits ever paid by the U.M.W.$80 a week for a single man, $90 for a couple and $100 for a family. In March of 1974, the UMWA invited an independent group to investigate the strike. . The Harlan County War, or Bloody Harlan, was a series of coal industry skirmishes, executions, bombings and strikes (both attempted and realized) that took place in Harlan County, Kentucky, during the 1930s. By June the strike was over; union leaders were banished from the mines and 44 men stood trial. Thats not because its comprehensive or rigorous but thanks to the intensity of feeling communicated through both song and language. . An open shop allows union membership but does not mandate it. Federal soldiers were routinely dispatched to the coal fields in response to what one governor called a reign of terror.. [1] The Harlan County coal miners campaigned and fought to organize their workplaces and better their wages and working conditions. After a month of negotiations with no success, the 180 miners walked off the job and began what would be a 13-month-long strike on 26 July 1973. I was home alone with our seven children. 9MM Beretta and an AK-47 style assault rifle were stolen during the robbery that happened at the Longs' house. No concessions were given by the mine operators and UMW membership plummeted. During the 20th century, it was often a center of labor strife between coal mine owners and union workers, especially in the Harlan County War of the 1930s. [2][3] Employees who were known by their bosses to be union members were fired and evicted from their company-owned homes. Lawrence Jones, 22 years old, a union member, was wounded in a shootout during the weekend, and died yesterday. How long did the Harlan County strike last? Everybody had guns. By then, a powerful UMWA represented 400,000 working miners, promising safety at work and an escape from the poverty that had consumed generation after generation. But this grand jury was Harlan County, and it seems like despite the fact we won a contract, not that much has changed here. Also, I had all these wonderful people that were putting up everything that they had for the right to have a union. The coal miners, lean and tough from Kentucky mountain life, knew how to fight back. The hardest thing was getting funding to keep going. Bobby's wife, Becky, who died in 2013, was a lifelong advocate for the people of Harlan County. [4]:67 Florence Reece, wife of organizer Sam Reece, wrote the labor standard "Which Side Are You On?". We dont see you, but we can hear you interact. Violence continued against the workers and community. The NLRB Administrative Law Judge, Manrice Bush, concluded, "From the record as a whole, I find and conclude that Eastover deliberately insisted on the nonacceptable no strike clause for the purpose of avoiding coming to terms with the Respondent union on any kind of collective bargaining agreement.". Subscribe today and get a yearlong print and digital subscription. Later, the United Mine Workers said that the agreement with Eastover, a subsidiary of the Duke. As we learn from the making of feature on the 2006 Criterion 30th anniversaryDVD, occasionally, as in a scene where a miner and a New York cop compare jobs, the films subject wore a hidden wireless microphone. The mine owners have as little regard as ever for the lives of miners and their families. Organizer Garfield Lewis wrote, The people have been so starved out that they are flocking into the Union by the thousands . Liam Lacey is a freelance writer for Original-Cin.ca and POV, Canadas premiere magazine about documentaries and independent films. Boyle had Yablonski murdered. Piercpton, IN COUNTY AUDITOR J D Geiger P O Box 29 N Webster IN COUNTY RECORDER Betty Dust 107 W . Working miners made as little as eighty cents a day and worked only a few days a month.". Barbara Kopple: Low coal, so people were crawling. Why was Harlan County in the depression known as Bloody Harlan? Barbara Kopple: Yes, it was a 415 mic I believe. Todd Melby: How many minutes would fit in [one reel of film]? Still, the Wall Street bankers and East Coast industrialists who owned the vast seams of the Southern coalfields would not give up without a fight, and Harlan remained Bloody Harlan. Armed company guards and sheriffs deputies patrolled the steep mountains and narrow valleys of the Kentucky Appalachians. A UMWA organizer who welcomed us displayed a revolver on the dashboard of his car. It comes to a bill of about $20,000 a week for the national union. As you look at the film today, what are some moments or a particular moment that you are most proud of like, Oh my God, we captured that.. MEDICAL SCHOOL Columbia University Vagelos School of Physicians and Surgeons, New York. The local community rallied behind them. Bloody Harlan. She talks about hiding behind cars on the picket line for protection from the "gun thugs." 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