![Title: Mine workers take new quarters. Washington, D.C., Dec. 27. The accounting division pictured above, was the first group of the United Mine Workers of America office force to establish [...] in the new U.M.W. building at 15th & Eye Sts. The building which was formerly occupied by the University Club, was taken over by the Mine Workers last summer and has just been given a complete renovation. The Mine Workers expect to fully occupy their new quarters soon after he first of the year Abstract/medium: 1 negative : glass ; 4 x 5 in. or smaller](/assets/images/2026-08-03T12-23-49-465Z-john-sayles-reflects-on-matewan-and-its-lessons-for-labor-solidarity-wikimedia-1280.webp)
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John Sayles’s 1987 film Matewan dramatizes a 1920 labor conflict, illustrating how class solidarity can overcome prejudice. Sayles, who was a student at Williams College and working a summer factory job, often hitchhiked in West Virginia during the summer of 1970, where coal miners frequently gave him rides. This period coincided with a contentious union election within the United Mine Workers of America, marked by fierce tensions that culminated in the murder of union reform candidate Joseph Yablonski and his wife in December 1969.
The film and Sayles’s experiences underscore the ongoing struggles and importance of unions in advocating for workers’ rights.
Sources
- Guardian US by Michael Sainato, August 3, 2026
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