Rossiter Strike Injunction
Canoe Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
On April 1, 1927, 200,000 bituminous coal miners nationwide struck to protest wage reductions. In November, strikers in Rossiter were prohibited from assembling, marching, and hymn singing by a sweeping injunction issued by Indiana County Judge Jonathan Langham. The injunction and mine-workers' conditions drew national interest and a U.S. Senate inquiry that included Senator Robert Wagner, key architect of the 1935 National Labor Relations Act.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
When 200,000 bituminous coal miners walked out nationwide in April 1927 to protest wage cuts, the strike reached the patch town of Rossiter. That November, an Indiana County judge issued a sweeping injunction so broad it barred strikers from gathering, marching, or even singing hymns. The heavy-handed order and the miners' hard conditions drew national attention and a U.S. Senate inquiry that involved Robert Wagner, soon a key author of the landmark 1935 labor law.
Why it matters
The episode exposed how far courts would go to break strikes—and helped build the national momentum toward federal protection of workers' right to organize.
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Related people
- · Jonathan Langham
- · Robert Wagner
Related events
- · 1927 bituminous coal strike
Themes & tags
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