Harlan County U.S.A.
This film chronicles the June 1973 coal workers' strike in Harlan County, Kentucky, against the Eastover Mining Company's Brookside Mine. Eastover's reluctance to sign a contract (following the miners' unionization with the United Mine Workers of America) precipitated the strike, which lasted more than a year and featured violent clashes between gun-toting business thugs/scabs and picketing miners and their supported women folk. Director Barbara Kopple puts the strike into context by providing background information on the miners' historical predicament and the UMWA's history.
Released: 1976-10-15
Genre:
Documentary