The Union Siege of Newcastle
A standoff between organized labor and mine management reveals the growing power of the Knights of Labor in the coal fields near Seattle.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A lively, large, and enthusiastic meeting was held at Newcastle Monday evening under the auspices of the Knights of Labor. Speakers George Venable Smith and G. McMillan of Seattle addressed the crowd regarding grievances against Mr. Watkins, the superintendent. The assembly alleged that Watkins was attempting to break up the local organization of the Knights of Labor by discriminating against union members. According to the resolutions passed, several men were out of work and dependent on the Newcastle coal mines for their livelihoods, yet while some union leaders were being fired and replaced by new hires, other employees—specifically young, single men—were being worked such long hours that they were unable to secure adequate rest. The assembly resolved that it was in the company's best interest to divide the work to provide for the unemployed and warned that any further assault on the order would be met by a system of boycotting Newcastle coal in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. A committee of three was appointed to meet with Mr. Watkins to demand an equitable adjustment of employment and a cessation of the persecution of union members.
“An assault upon the Knights of Labor is a piece of tyranny which working men cannot afford to allow.”
This 1885 standoff at the Newcastle coal mines mirrors contemporary labor disputes in Seattle, where struggles over scheduling, job security, and the power of corporations to reshape local workforces remain front-page issues. The threat to leverage a regional boycott to protect local labor echoes the historic solidarity movements that continue to influence the city's political identity today.
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