United Mine Workers of America
1. Report on the union profile. How many members does the union have? How is the union’s organizational structure designed? In what industry(ies) does the union operate? How long has the union been in existence? Etc. (approximately 250 words for this section).
2. Report on a minimum of three (3) legal disputes in which the union has been involved in the last 10-15 years (approximately 250 words for each dispute). For each dispute, discuss:
a. Who were the parties?
b. What was the nature of the dispute (i.e. what was the conflict)?
c. Were any adverse actions taken by either the union (strikes, etc.) or the employer (ULPs, etc.)?
d. How was the dispute resolved (i.e. mediation, arbitration, litigation, etc.)?
e. What was the final outcome?
Sample Solution
United Mine Workers of America
The United Mine Workers of America, founded in 25 January 1890, Columbus, Ohio, United States, is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the United States and Canada. By 2014, coal mining had largely shifted to open pit mines in Wyoming, and there were only 60,000 active coal miners. The United Mine Workers was left with 35,000 members, of whom 20,000 were coal miners, chiefly in underground mines in Kentucky and West Virginia. United Mine Workers membership reached about 500,000 in 1946, but that number dropped below 200,000 in the 1990s. The union had hoped to regain members and influence by calling a lengthy strike in 1993 to protest the opening of nonunion mines, but the unsuccessful strike against the Bituminous Coal Operators Association further weakened the image of the United Mine Workers of America.
