Windber Strike of 1922-23
Windber, Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Windber-area Berwind White workers joined a national strike by United Mine Workers of America in April 1922 for improved wages and working conditions, civil liberties, and recognition. The strike lasted 16 months; families of strikers were evicted from company housing. A City of New York inquiry exposed deplorable living and working conditions and urged nationalization of coal mines.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
When Windber-area Berwind-White miners joined the United Mine Workers' national strike in April 1922, they were demanding not just better pay but recognition, civil liberties, and humane conditions. The walkout dragged on for sixteen months, and strikers' families were evicted from company-owned housing into hardship. A New York City inquiry publicized the grim living and working conditions of the coal patch and even called for nationalizing the mines.
Why it matters
The Windber strike laid bare the harsh realities of company-town life and became part of the long fight for union recognition that defined American industrial labor in the early 20th century.
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Related events
- ¡ United Mine Workers strike of 1922
- ¡ Windber Strike of 1922-23
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Windber
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Founded in 1897 by the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company, Windber was a company town unlike most â a substantial independent center ringed by thirteen smaller 'patch towns' housing the miners. The company built landmarks like the 1914 Wilmore Building and the 1919 Arcadia Theatre, while thousands of immigrants poured in to work the bituminous seams, the largest output coming from Eureka Mine No. 40. Company mining here ended in 1962.
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