After 1900, the Provincial Workman's Association (PWA) was being challenged for the loyalty of coal miners. The following two decades were characterized by an almost constant struggle between the rival factions for control, featuring a debate over defining relationships between capital and labour. The PWA presented a responsible image to management and government, demonstrating a willingness to cooperate on all matters. Their opponents, embracing a class based analysis of their situation, advocated loyalty to their own class over that to the industry or any other institution in society, including government and churches.
The struggle for the miners' minds climaxed in 1909 when the more militant United Mine Workers of America won majority support throughout the coal fields. Management and government, feigning horror at the prospect of miners under the influence of an American based union, refused recognition, precipitating one of the longest and most bitter confrontations in Canadian labour history. Troops were called to protect property and strikebreakers from striking miners, but there were few incidents. In the end, the strikers were simply worn down. The PWA never regained its former credibility and was replaced when demands of the war economy and the outrage of workers all across the country prompted the federal government to force recognition of the miners' choice, rather than face disruptive wartime labour strife.
Courtesy: Beaton Institute, University College of Cape Breton
