The Strike of 1916

Title: Strikers' Demands
Type: Newspaper
Date: June 28, 1916
Source: Hibbing Daily Tribune

Description: This article lists what it was that the workers were hoping to get by walking out of their jobs.
Read Transcription

Activities:

1. Why do you think workers in the underground mines (wet and dry places) would get more money per day than workers in the open-pit mines?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Mining underground was much more dangerous than open-pit mining and also required greater skill. The threat of injury or death in an underground mine was great because of the possibility of cave-ins, mud slides, and other accidents with explosives.
2. What can we learn about a miner's job from the demands of the strikers?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: We can learn that they were probably xpected to work more than eight hours a day, there was a Saturday night shift for work, and miners were not paid for their travel into and out of the mines. They were paid less than twice a month, and were under a contract system.
3. Do you think this article presents any opinion of the striker's demands?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The article seems to be simply listing the demands as they were presented. We can't really tell from this article whether or not the author agrees or disagrees with those demands.
4. What sources might we use to find out what the Oliver Mining Company's response to these demands had been?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: It's possible that there was an article in the paper the next day or week describing how the mining company responded to these demands.