West Virginia Mine Wars Museum staff unionize through UMWA
PRESS RELEASE:
MATEWAN, W.Va -The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum is proud to announce that staff have unionized, becoming official members of the United Mine Workers of America.
“We are honored and excited to represent the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum staff as members of the United Mine Workers of America,” said UMWA President Brian Sanson. “These workers protect and share the story of sacrifice, solidarity, and courage that defines our union. We are proud to stand with them, to represent them, and to welcome them home to the UMWA family.”
A contract has been signed with the historic District 17 and Local Union 1440, whose union hall is mere blocks from the site of the Battle of Matewan and the Museum itself.
“This marks a new chapter in the shared history of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum and the United Mine Workers of America,” said Museum Executive Director Kenzie New Walker.
The strong membership of Local 1440 was an instigating factor in establishing the Museum in Matewan, with union members also becoming founding members helping us open our doors more than a decade ago.
“A big part of our support is knowing that this is work that hadn’t been done. We were never educated in our schools about our history,” said Danny Whitt, Financial Secretary for Local 1440. “When people got together to get that history into the public, members of the Local came to help found the Museum.”
Since then our Board of Directors has always held a seat filled by a member of Local Union 1440, with many other members working with our organization at community events and volunteer days. The building where the Museum is currently housed originally belonged to the
Local, who graciously invited us to move into the space in 2019 and dedicated it to President Emitus Cecil Roberts in 2021. We now own the structure and have since opened the Matewan Community Center on the second flood with plans to also expand the Museum’s exhibits and programs within the 11,000-sq-ft building. Members of the National and District 17 branches have also helped with planning our Battle of Blair Mountain Centennial events as well as our Courage in the Hollers project, and so many other efforts.
Staff will belong to District 17, a faction of the UMWA known for its legacy of militant labor history, playing a role in ending the “company town” and “mine guard” system as well as the site of countless strikes for better working conditions and benefits for miners across its five state radius. Battles fought inside this district have gone on to improve labor rights for workers nationally and internationally.
“Appalachia is home to some of the most powerful union history in the country, and nonprofit workers deserve to be part of that legacy and to benefit from the protections and dignity of a union workplace. This is an act that makes me and our ancestors proud,” said New Walker.
“We’re thrilled to be able to look out over the union hall and see young faces that we know are going to keep our Local alive and keep our history alive,” said Whitt.
Staff will be sworn in as official UMWA Members at a ceremony held inside the Local 1440 union hall in Matewan on Saturday, January 10th at 10 a.m. International District 17 Representative, William Chapman, will be in attendance for the proceedings.
