John Brophy (1883-1963)
Nanty-Glo, Cambria County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The American labor leader lived here in Nanty Glo. Brophy was president of District 2, United Mine Workers of America, 1916-1926; he gained national prominence for his "Miner's Program," calling for a shorter work week, nationalization of the mines, and a labor party. An official of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), 1935-1961, Brophy was a longtime advocate for a democratic labor movement.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In the coal towns of western Pennsylvania, labor leader John Brophy rose to national prominence as president of a United Mine Workers district from 1916 to 1926. His bold "Miner's Program" called for a shorter work week, public ownership of the mines, and a labor party, and later, as a national official of the CIO from 1935 to 1961, he championed a more democratic labor movement. He made his home here in Nanty Glo, among the miners whose interests he spent his life defending.
Why it matters
Brophy embodied the reform wing of American labor in the era of industrial unionism, and his ideas helped shape the CIO's drive to organize the nation's mass-production workers.
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Related people
- ¡ John Brophy
Themes & tags
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