UAW Local 2250 retiree Carl Amburger recently shared a coin he had come across that he believed to be “company money”. That is money paid by the company to its workers that can only be spent at the company store. It also had the employer benefit of keeping their workers tied to the company for the necessities of life.
One labor activist that fought this corrupt relationship was the legendary Mother Jones…
Known as the miner’s angel, Mother Jones became an active campaigner for the United Mine Workers Union. A political progressive, she was a founder of the Social Democratic Party in 1898. Jones also helped establish the Industrial Workers of the World in 1905. For all of her social reform and labor activities, she was considered by the authorities to be one of the most dangerous women in America.
Nothing could dissuade Mother Jones from her work. At the age of 82, she was arrested for her part in a West Virginia strike that turned violent and was sentenced to 20 years. But her supporters rallied and convinced the governor to grant her a pardon. Jones, undeterred, returned to organizing workers.
You can learn more about this legendary unionist and view some “miners money” by visiting the UAW Local 2250 labor library in the auditorium of the union hall.
