Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThe Western Federation of Miners, an industrial union of the workers involved with the extraction and preparation of metallic ores (except iron ore preparation), was organized in Butte, Montana, in June of 1893. At the union's 1916 convention the WFM changed its name to the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers. The following attributes have been commonly imputed to have been held by the WFM: The WFM was a revolutionary Marxist (or syndicalist or anarchist) organization. It created dual unions to attack the American Federation of Labor. The WFM openly encouraged its members to perform violence, and did perform violence, against opponents and their property. The WFM was kept out of the AFL because it was socialistic and too radical for the beliefs of Samuel Gompers. This study found that none of these traits were accurate representations of the WFM. However, because they were believed to be true, the WFM was stigmatized by these misrepresentations and could never find a way to absolve itself from them. The image of the WFM as embodying these characteristics made the WFM a failure as a trade union, and eventually, effectively destroyed the metal miners' union