Coal wars. The battle in Rum Creek

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Filmed in an isolated hollow of West Virginia, this stirring documentary shows the violent clash between miners and the two giant coal companies which dominate their lives. Their action was part of a national strike called by the United Mineworkers Association in 1989-90. Rum Creek had a history of militancy going back to the 1920s. The lessons learned back then color the miners ideas and actions today. Wives and daughters have always fought alongside miners. Here, two young women speak passionately about the need to stand firm on matters of wage and benefits, or their very existence will be threatened. A retired black miner, a lifelong union activist, gives his perspective on the decline of the coal industry, sudden layoffs and shrinking union membership. When the strike was settled, the miners felt that both the owners and the unions had gained, but that the workers lost out.