Michael Ratchford
Encyclopedia
Michael Ratchford was an American
labor
leader and president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) from 1897 to 1898.
Ratchford was born in County Clare
, Ireland
. He attended public school and emigrated to the United States in 1872 with his parents. The family settled in Massillon, Ohio
. He married the former Deborah Jordan in 1884.
He started working in coal mines
when he was just 12 years old. He became active in the United Mine Workers after its formation in 1890 and was elected local union president that year. He was hired as an organizer by the international union in 1893 and was elected District 6 president in 1895.
After UMWA president Phil Penna
declined to run for a full term in 1895, Ratchford was elected as his successor.
During his single term as UMWA president, Ratchford dramatically re-invigorated the union. He led a hugely successful national coal miners' strike in July 1897 which involved more than 100,000 workers. Supported by the American Federation of Labor
, the strike lasted 12 weeks and shut down almost all coal production in the U.S.
The strike was settled when mine owners agreed to sign a national master contract, the Central Competitive Field Agreement. It covered all coal-producing states except West Virginia
. The agreement established the eight-hour day
and dramatically raised wages to 65 cents per ton. More than 23,000 miners joined the union, raising its membership to 33,000. The strike energized the entire American labor movement.
Ratchford resigned as president in 1898 to serve on the United States Industrial Commission
, remaining on it for two years. An ardent Republican
and personal friend of both William McKinley
and Mark Hanna
, Ratchford was appointed Ohio's commissioner of labor statistics in 1900.
In 1909, Ratchford was named commissioner of the Ohio Coal Operators and in 1913 assumed the same position with the Illinois Coal Operators' Association. He served in this last position until his death.
Michael Ratchford died in Massillon on December 12, 1927.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
labor
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
leader and president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) from 1897 to 1898.
Ratchford was born in County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He attended public school and emigrated to the United States in 1872 with his parents. The family settled in Massillon, Ohio
Massillon, Ohio
Massillon is a city located in Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately 8 miles to the west of Canton, Ohio, 20 miles south of Akron, Ohio, and 50 miles south of Cleveland, Ohio. The population was 32,149 at the 2010 census....
. He married the former Deborah Jordan in 1884.
He started working in coal mines
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
when he was just 12 years old. He became active in the United Mine Workers after its formation in 1890 and was elected local union president that year. He was hired as an organizer by the international union in 1893 and was elected District 6 president in 1895.
After UMWA president Phil Penna
Phil Penna
Phil Penna was an American labor leader, and president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1895 to 1896.John McBride, president of UMWA, had won election as president of the American Federation of Labor in 1895, unseating Samuel Gompers...
declined to run for a full term in 1895, Ratchford was elected as his successor.
During his single term as UMWA president, Ratchford dramatically re-invigorated the union. He led a hugely successful national coal miners' strike in July 1897 which involved more than 100,000 workers. Supported by the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
, the strike lasted 12 weeks and shut down almost all coal production in the U.S.
The strike was settled when mine owners agreed to sign a national master contract, the Central Competitive Field Agreement. It covered all coal-producing states except West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. The agreement established the eight-hour day
Eight-hour day
The eight-hour day movement or 40-hour week movement, also known as the short-time movement, had its origins in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life and imposed long hours and poor working conditions. With working conditions...
and dramatically raised wages to 65 cents per ton. More than 23,000 miners joined the union, raising its membership to 33,000. The strike energized the entire American labor movement.
Ratchford resigned as president in 1898 to serve on the United States Industrial Commission
Industrial Commission
The Industrial Commission was a United States government body in existence from 1898 to 1902. It was appointed by President William McKinley to investigate railroad pricing policy, industrial concentration, and the impact of immigration on labor markets, and make recommendations to the President...
, remaining on it for two years. An ardent Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and personal friend of both William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
and Mark Hanna
Mark Hanna
Marcus Alonzo "Mark" Hanna was a United States Senator from Ohio and the friend and political manager of President William McKinley...
, Ratchford was appointed Ohio's commissioner of labor statistics in 1900.
In 1909, Ratchford was named commissioner of the Ohio Coal Operators and in 1913 assumed the same position with the Illinois Coal Operators' Association. He served in this last position until his death.
Michael Ratchford died in Massillon on December 12, 1927.