Interview with Lois Scott, August 26, 1986

Interview Summary

Lois Scott talks about the reasons miners at Brookside were interested in getting a union contract. She talks about her family's attitudes about her involvement in the strike. Scott describes in detail three times she was arrested on the picket lines. She talks about the women becoming involved with the Highsplint strike. She talks about Basil Collins, the scabs, and the "gun thugs" who came to oppose the strikers. She talks about her fears of being shot but says she stood her ground even when one of the men began shooting a machine gun. She talks about the mothers on the picket line fearing for their daughters' safety. She says the state police were biased against the strikers. She tells two stories about being chased by trucks while driving and how she managed to escape.

Interview Keyword

Company stores Families. Highsplint Mine Highsplint (Ky.) Law enforcement. Scabs Brookside Strike Brookside Mine Strike Brookside Mine Arrests State police

Interview LC Subject

Women in the labor movement Coal miners' spouses Coal Miners' Strike, Harlan County, Ky., 1973. Coal miners--Kentucky Coal miners--Labor unions--Organizing Coal miners--Labor unions. Coal mines and mining--Kentucky Collective bargaining--Coal mining industry Communities. Harlan (Ky.) Harlan County (Ky.) Picketing. Protest and social movements Protest movements. Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining--Kentucky Strikes and lockouts--Miners United Mine Workers of America Violence

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Interview Usage

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