UMWA celebrates 125th anniversary of Union Miners Cemetery

Tim Drea, Illinois AFL-CIO President, appeared on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and talked about the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Union Miners Cemetery and the 2022 enshrinement of collective bargaining and organizing language into the Illinois State Constitution.

Drea joined the show in honor of Miners Day, which took place on Oct. 13 to commemorate the achievements, contributions and sacrifices of miners, while also honoring the legacy of mining communities.

A union coal miner by trade, Drea discussed the 125th anniversary of the Union Miners Cemetery. Established in 1899, the cemetery is the resting place for eight members of the United Mine Workers Union who were killed in 1898 protesting a strike. He explained that the area’s cemeteries refused to allow the miners to be buried in their cemeteries for fear of mass demonstrations at the graves. As such, the union purchased several acres of land in Mt. Olive, Ill., in what is now known as the Union Miners Cemetery. According to Drea, this is the only union-owned cemetery in the United States. It is also the resting place of Mother Jones. 

On Oct. 13, a commemoration event was held that featured a performance by Mother Jones reenactor Loretta Williams. Cecil Edward Roberts, Jr., President of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), was in attendance and spoke about the Virden riot and the cemetery’s history, along with UMWA’s history. 

He also spoke about the fight in 2022 to enshrine organizing and collective bargaining rights into the Illinois Constitution. Drea recalled how following the Janus vs.AFSCME decision, the actions of then Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner influenced the decision of labor leaders to put collective bargaining on the ballot. Since then, leaders from other states, including Minnesota and Pennsylvania, have reached out to him to discuss the process. Drea explained how the Illinois AFL-CIO gained the support of a majority of voters to pass the initiative. 

For more from Drea, listen to the show above.