Part III

The Individual Response

Improving his working conditions and bringing about a more equitable reward system were the anthracite mine worker’s two major problems. Since mine operators would resist attempts to do anything about either problem, the solution depended on power.

The individual mine worker, of course, had little power, partly because the anthracite miners functioned in task groups. Stripped of power and even individual identity by the collective productive system, the mine worker could solve his major problems on an individual basis only by escaping from the mine. Effective action within the industry could be undertaken only by the group.