Coal Strike Stalls Renton Mines
Two hundred fifty miners are out of work after refusing a significant wage cut, threatening the economic stability of the town.
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Since the Seattle Electric company locked out the men working its mines, the breadwinners of Renton have been walking the streets, wondering about their future. About 250 men are affected by the lockout, which began after they refused a wage reduction of 20 to 25 percent. The miners claim they were satisfied with previous conditions and only ask for fair play. Business men in Renton express concern that the continued closure will have a severe effect on the town's prosperity. The company has refused to provide any comment regarding the status of the mines.
“The men say that all they ask for is fair play and they want to know what the company is going to do.”
Labor disputes in the early 20th-century coal industry often pitted workers against distant, powerful corporations—a dynamic that remains a central tension in regional economic debates today.
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