Joseph Yablonski
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Joseph Albert "Jock" Yablonski (March 3, 1910 – December 31, 1969) was an American
labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
leader in the
United Mine Workers The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing work ...
in the 1950s and 1960s known for seeking reform in the union and better working conditions for miners. In 1969 he challenged Tony Boyle for the presidency of the international union and was defeated. He asked for a
Department of Labor A ministry of labour (''British English, UK''), or labor (''American English, US''), also known as a department of labour, or labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workfor ...
(DOL) investigation, charging a fraudulent election. In addition, Yablonski filed a lawsuit against the UMWA on five different charges related to fraud. On New Year's Eve, Yablonski, his wife, and his 25-year-old daughter were murdered, fatally shot at home by three gunmen found to have been hired on orders of Tony Boyle. A total of seven persons were convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder; two of the assassins were sentenced to death for
first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse committed with the necessary intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisdiction. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse ...
. DOL completed its investigation, aided by the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
, and won a suit to overturn the 1969 election by 1972. A new election was held in December of that year and a reform candidate elected, defeating Boyle. Boyle was indicted in 1973 for the three Yablonski murders; he was convicted in 1974 and received three
life sentence Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are c ...
s. The union made important reforms.


Early life, marriages and union career

Joseph Yablonski, called "Jock", was born in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
, Pennsylvania, on March 3, 1910, as the son of Polish immigrants, After attending public schools, Yablonski began working in the mines as a boy, joining his father in this industry. After his father was killed in a mine explosion, Yablonski became active in the
United Mine Workers The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing work ...
and began to advocate for better working conditions. He was first elected to union office in 1934. In 1940, Yablonski was elected as a representative to the international executive board. In 1958 he was appointed president of UMW District 5. As a young man Yablonski married Ann Marie Huffman. Their son Kenneth J. Yablonski was born in 1934. After Yablonski and Huffman were divorced, he married Margaret Rita Wasicek, an amateur playwright. They had two children, Joseph "Chip" and Charlotte Yablonski. Both sons became labor attorneys, representing their father in his union activities and later in private practices. Charlotte became a social worker in
Clarksville, Pennsylvania Clarksville is a borough in Greene County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 194 at the 2020 census. Geography Clarksville is located in the northeastern corner of Greene County at (39.974170, -80.044833), at the confluence of ...
, where her family lived. She took leave to work in 1969 on her father's campaign for the UMWA presidency. Yablonski clashed with Tony Boyle, who was elected president of the UMW in 1963, over how the union should be run. He believed that Boyle did not adequately represent the miners and was too cozy with the mine owners. In 1965, Boyle removed Yablonski as president of District 5 (under changes enacted by Boyle, district presidents were appointed by him, rather than being elected by union members of their district, giving him more control). In May 1969 Yablonski announced his candidacy for president of the union in the election to be held later that year. As early as June, Boyle was reportedly discussing the need to kill his opponent.


UMWA presidential candidacy

The United Mine Workers was in turmoil by 1969. Legendary UMWA president
John L. Lewis John Llewellyn Lewis (February 12, 1880 – June 11, 1969) was an American leader of Labor unions in the United States, organized labor who served as president of the United Mine Workers, United Mine Workers of America (UMW) from 1920 to 1960. ...
had retired in 1960. His successor, Thomas Kennedy, died in 1963. From retirement, Lewis hand-picked Boyle for the UMWA presidency. A
Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
miner, Boyle was as
autocratic Autocracy is a form of government in which absolute power is held by the head of state and Head of government, government, known as an autocrat. It includes some forms of monarchy and all forms of dictatorship, while it is contrasted with demo ...
and bullying as Lewis, but not as well-liked.Lewis, ''Murder By Contract: The People v. 'Tough Tony' Boyle,'' 1975.Franklin, "Rank and File Rebellion Stirs in Mine Union, Posing Threat to Lewis Legacy," ''New York Times,'' June 13, 1969. From the beginning of his administration Boyle faced significant opposition from rank-and-file miners and UMWA leaders. Miners' attitudes about their union had also changed. Miners wanted greater democracy and more autonomy for their
local union A local union (often shortened to local), in North America, or union branch (known as a lodge in some unions), in the United Kingdom and other countries, is a local branch (or chapter) of a usually national trade union. The terms used for sub-bran ...
s. There was also a widespread belief that Boyle was more concerned with protecting mine owners' interests than those of his members. Grievances filed by the union often took months—sometimes years—to resolve, lending credence to the critics' claim. Wildcat strikes occurred as local unions, despairing of UMWA assistance, sought to resolve local disputes with walkouts. In 1969 Yablonski challenged Boyle for the presidency of UMWA. He was the first anti-administration
insurgent An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well ...
candidate in 40 years. In an election widely seen as
corrupt Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...
, Boyle beat Yablonski in the election held on December 9, by a margin of nearly two-to-one (80,577 to 46,073). Yablonski conceded the election. On December 18, 1969, he asked the
United States Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemp ...
(DOL) to investigate the election for fraud. He also initiated five
civil lawsuit A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. T ...
s against UMWA in federal court, on related matters. He alleged that: Boyle and UMWA had denied him use of the union's mailing lists as provided for by law, he had been removed from his position as acting director of Labor's
Non-Partisan Nonpartisanship, also known as nonpartisanism, is a lack of affiliation with a political party and a lack of political bias. While an ''Oxford English Dictionary'' definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., ...
League in retaliation for his candidacy, the ''UMW Journal'' was being used by Boyle as a campaign and propaganda mouthpiece, UMWA had no rules for fair elections, and had printed nearly 51,000 excess
ballot A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16th cent ...
s which should have been destroyed; and UMWA had violated its
fiduciary A fiduciary is a person who holds a legal or ethical relationship of trust with one or more other parties (legal person or group of persons). Typically, a fiduciary prudently takes care of money or other assets for another person. One party, ...
duties by spending union funds on Boyle's reelection. These charges and their resolution are outlined in the civil case ''Kenneth J. Yablonski and Joseph A. Yablonski v. United Mine Workers of America et al.,'' 466 F.2d 424 (August 3, 1972), which his sons carried to the end.


Murder

On December 31, 1969, three
hitmen Contract killing (also known as murder-for-hire) is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of compensation, monet ...
fatally shot Yablonski, his wife Margaret, and his 25-year-old daughter Charlotte, as they slept in the Yablonski home in
Clarksville, Pennsylvania Clarksville is a borough in Greene County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 194 at the 2020 census. Geography Clarksville is located in the northeastern corner of Greene County at (39.974170, -80.044833), at the confluence of ...
. The bodies were discovered on January 5, 1970, by one of Yablonski's sons,
Kenneth Kenneth is a given name of Gaelic origin. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: ''Cainnech'' and '' Cináed''. The modern Gaelic form of ''Cainnech'' is ''Coinneach''; the name was derived from a byna ...
. An investigation found that the killings had been ordered by Boyle, who had demanded Yablonski's death on June 23, 1969, after a meeting with Yablonski at UMWA headquarters degenerated into a shouting match. In September 1969, UMWA executive council member Albert Pass received $20,000 from Boyle (who had embezzled the money from union funds) to hire gunmen to kill Yablonski. He hired Paul Eugene Gilly (September 5, 1932 – July 6, 2021), an out-of-work house painter and son-in-law of Silous Huddleston, a minor UMWA official, and two drifters, Aubran Wayne "Buddy" Martin (May 7, 1948 – March 12, 1991) and Claude Edward Vealey (July 9, 1943 – January 31, 1999). The murder was ordered postponed until after the election, however, to avoid suspicion falling on Boyle. After three aborted attempts to murder Yablonski, the killers completed the assassinations, deciding to kill everyone in the house. They left so many fingerprints behind that the police identified and captured them within three days."The Yablonski Contract," ''Time,'' May 15, 1972; "The Fall of Tony Boyle," ''Time,'' September 17, 1973. A few hours after Yablonski's funeral, several of the miners who had supported Yablonski met in the basement of the church where the memorial service was held. They met with attorney Joseph Rauh and drew up plans to establish a reform caucus within the United Mine Workers. The day after the bodies of the Yablonskis were discovered, 20,000 miners in West Virginia walked off the job in a one-day strike, protesting against Boyle, who they believed was responsible for the murders.


Aftermath of Yablonski's murder

On January 8, 1970, Yablonski's attorney waived the right to further internal review of the election by the union and requested an immediate investigation by DOL of the 1969 union presidential election. On January 17, 1972, the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
granted Mike Trbovich, a 51-year-old coal mine shuttle car operator and union member from District 5 (Yablonski's district), permission to intervene in the DOL suit as a complainant, which kept Yablonski's election fraud suit alive. Labor Secretary George P. Shultz assigned 230 investigators to the UMWA investigation and Attorney General Mitchell ordered the FBI to join the murder inquiry. The
Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act The Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (also "LMRDA" or the Landrum–Griffin Act), is a US labor law that regulates labor unions' internal affairs and their officials' relationships with employers. Background After enactment ...
(LMRDA) of 1959 regulates the internal affairs of labor unions, requiring regular secret-ballot elections for local union offices and providing for federal investigation of election fraud or impropriety. DOL is authorized under the act to sue in federal court to have the election overturned. By 1970, however, only three international union elections had been overturned by the courts. Gilly, Martin and Vealey were arrested days after the assassinations and indicted for Yablonski's death. All were convicted of first-degree murder. Gilly and Vealey were sentenced to death (the death sentences were later reduced to life in prison due to
Furman v. Georgia ''Furman v. Georgia'', 408 U.S. 238 (1972), was a landmark criminal case in which the United States Supreme Court decided that arbitrary and inconsistent imposition of the death penalty violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, and const ...
); Martin avoided execution by pleading guilty and turning state's evidence. Eventually investigators arrested Paul Gilly's wife, Annette Lucy Gilly; her father Silous Huddleston; Albert Pass (who had given the money to pay the conspirators for murder) and Pass's wife. All were convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, in trials extending into 1973. (Both Annette Gilly and her father Silous Huddleston pleaded guilty in 1972, receiving life sentences to avoid the death penalty.) Miners for Democracy (MFD) formed in April 1970, while the DOL investigation of the 1969 election continued. Its members included most of the miners who belonged to the West Virginia Black Lung Association and many of Yablonski's supporters and former campaign staff. MFD's support was strongest in southwestern Pennsylvania, eastern
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, and the panhandle and northern portions of
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
, but MFD supporters existed in nearly all affiliates. The chief organizers of Miners for Democracy included Yablonski's sons,
Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
(known as "Chip") and Ken, Mike Trbovich, and other union supporters. The DOL filed suit in federal court in 1971 to overturn the 1969 UMWA election. After several lengthy delays, the suit went to trial on September 12, 1971. On May 1, 1972, Judge William Bryant threw out the results of the 1969 UMWA international union elections. Bryant scheduled a new election to be held during the first eight days of December 1972. In addition, Bryant agreed that the DOL should oversee the election to ensure fairness. On May 28, 1972, MFD nominated Arnold Miller, a miner from West Virginia who challenged Boyle for the presidency, based on the need for black lung legislation to protect the miners. Balloting for the next UMWA president began on December 1, 1972. Balloting ended on December 9, and Miller was declared the victor on December 15. The Labor Department certified Miller as UMWA's next president on December 22. The vote was 70,373 for Miller and 56,334 for Boyle. Two of the convicted murderers had accused Boyle of masterminding and funding the assassination plot. The murder investigation and confessions of other conspirators revealed the financial and other trails leading back to Boyle. In April 1973 Boyle was indicted on three counts of murder; he was convicted in April 1974. He was sentenced to three consecutive life terms in prison, where he died in 1985.


Honors and legacy

In 1973 Yablonski posthumously received the Samuel S. Beard Award for Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under, made annually by Jefferson Awards. In 1995 the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, responsible for the collection, conservation, and interpretation of Pennsylvania's heritage. The commission cares for hist ...
installed a
historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...
in
California, Pennsylvania California is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough on the Monongahela River in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,479 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. ...
commemorating Yablonski's life and work. The Joseph A. Yablonski Memorial Clinic in Fredericktown, PA, one of the Centerville Health Clinics, was renamed to honor Yablonski; it was originally the Union Miners Building, Inc., when it opened in 1955.


Portrayal in popular culture

Barbara Kopple's 1976 documentary '' Harlan County USA'' included a segment on Yablonski's murder and its aftermath. It also includes the song "Cold Blooded Murder" (also known as "The Yablonski Murder"), sung by Hazel Dickens. The complex problem of the coal mining industry and the distribution of profits between the corporation and its labor force is covered well in this documentary.
John Sayles John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He is known for writing and directing the films '' The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984), '' Matewan'' (1987), ...
's novel ''Union Dues'' (1977) is a fictional account of miners fighting for proper union representation in 1969. The Boyle-Yablonski dispute is a sub-plot which several characters mention, expressing their opinions of unions and corruption. The 1986
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
television movie '' Act of Vengeance'' was about the union struggle and the murders. Wilford Brimley played Boyle and
Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in ...
(a native of Ehrenfeld in the western Pennsylvania mining region) portrayed Yablonski. An episode of '' FBI: The Untold Stories'' was devoted to this case. Mark A Bradley's 2020 book ''Blood Runs Coal - The Yablonski Murders and the Battle for the United Mine Workers of America'' covers Yablonski's presidential campaign, the murders and the subsequent murder trials.
Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy ( ; born 25 May 1976) is an Irish actor. His works encompass both stage and screen, and his accolades include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He made his professional debut in Enda Walsh's 1996 pl ...
will star in and produce a film based on Bradley's book for
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
. Robert K. Tanenbaum's 2023 book ''Coal Country Killing'' is about the murders and subsequent trials from the point of view of the special prosecutor appointed for the cases.


References


Bibliography

*"Boyle Is Given Three Life Terms In '69 Murder of the Yablonskis." ''Associated Press.'' September 12, 1975. *"The Fall of Tony Boyle." '' Time.'' September 17, 1973. *Flint, Jerry M. "Murder Charges Filed." ''New York Times.'' January 23, 1970. *Franklin, Ben A. "Angry U.M.W. Insurgent Arnold Ray Miller." ''New York Times.'' May 30, 1972. *Franklin, Ben A. "Boyle Claims Victory In Mine Union Race." ''New York Times.'' December 11, 1969. *Franklin, Ben A. "Boyle Is Accused In Yablonski Case." ''New York Times.'' March 10, 1973. *Franklin, Ben A. "Boyle Is Implicated By Yablonski Killer." ''New York Times.'' March 14, 1973. *Franklin, Ben A. "Boyle Is Ousted By Miners' Votes After Long Fight." ''New York Times.'' December 16, 1972. *Franklin, Ben A. "Confession Given in Yablonski Case." ''New York Times.'' May 4, 1972. *Franklin, Ben A. "Dissident Miners Seek Funds Here." ''New York Times.'' November 15, 1970. *Franklin, Ben A. "Inquiry Is Ordered Into Mine Election." ''New York Times.'' January 9, 1970. *Franklin, Ben A. "Jury Finds Boyle Guilty In 3 Yablonski Murders." ''New York Times.'' April 12, 1974. *Franklin, Ben A. "Mine Union Change Likely After Vote." ''New York Times.'' December 14, 1969. *Franklin, Ben A. "More Miners Protest Slayings." ''New York Times.'' January 8, 1970. *Franklin, Ben A. "Officials Certify Miners' Election." ''New York Times.'' December 21, 1972. *Franklin, Ben A. "Rank and File Rebellion Stirs in Mine Union, Posing Threat to Lewis Legacy." ''New York Times.'' June 13, 1969. *Franklin, Ben A. "Reform Miners Select Candidate to Run Against Boyle." ''New York Times.'' May 29, 1972. *Franklin, Ben A. "3 Held in Yablonski Deaths." ''New York Times.'' January 22, 1970. *Franklin, Ben A. "U.M.W. Head Faces Suit On Election." ''New York Times.'' September 12, 1971. *Franklin, Ben A. "U.M.W.'s Spending Detailed in Suit." ''New York Times.'' January 24, 1971. *Franklin, Ben A. "U.S. Action Urged By U.M.W. Faction." ''New York Times.'' October 4, 1970. *Franklin, Ben A. "U.S. Again Delays Mine Union Trial." ''New York Times.'' May 30, 1971. *Franklin, Ben A. "Wife of Suspect in Yablonski Case Is Indicted by U.S. Jury as Member of Plot to Kill Union Rebel." ''New York Times.'' February 6, 1970. *Franklin, Ben A. "Yablonski Inquiry Reported to Focus On a Sum of Money." ''New York Times.'' January 24, 1970. *"Grand Jury Is Checking Financial Records of a U.M.W. Local in Tennessee." ''United Press International.'' February 4, 1970. *Lewis, Arthur H. ''Murder By Contract: The People v. 'Tough Tony' Boyle.'' New York: MacMillan Publishing, 1975. *Lockard, Duane. ''Coal: A Memoir and Critique.'' Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Press, 1998. . *"Loser Asks Inquiry Into Mine Election." ''Associated Press.'' December 12, 1969. *"Mitchell Orders F.B.I. to Join Inquiry Into Yablonski Slayings." ''New York Times.'' January 7, 1970. *"Mystery Lingers in Yablonski Case." ''New York Times.'' March 5, 1972. *"News of the Screen." ''New York Times.'' September 16, 1973. *"Oral History Interview with Dr. Donald Rasmussen." B.L. Dotson-Lewis, interviewer. Nicholas County Schools, Summersville, West Virginia. March 1, 200

*"Pass Guilty in Yablonski Deaths." ''New York Times.'' June 20, 1973. *Peterson, Bill. "The Tragedy of the Miners: Arnold Miller and the Disarray of the Reform Movement." ''Washington Post.'' January 16, 1977. *Schenider, Steve. "This Time Around, Bronson Portrays the Victim." ''New York Times.'' April 20, 1986. *Vasquez, Juan M. "Overseer Named for U.M.W. Voting." ''New York Times.'' June 21, 1972. *Vasquez, Juan M. "U.M.W. Election of Boyle Is Upset by Federal Judge." ''New York Times.'' May 2, 1972. *Vecsey, George. "Mine Workers Begin Balloting." ''New York Times.'' December 2, 1972. *"Vindication for Jock Yablonski." ''Time.'' March 16, 1970. *"The Yablonski Contract." ''Time.'' May 15, 1972. *"Yablonski Defendant Pleads Guilty to Escape Chair." ''New York Times.'' April 12, 1972. *"Yablonski Defendant Sentenced To Death for Three Murders." ''New York Times.'' November 14, 1971. *"Yablonski Friends Say Suspect Visited Slain Man's Home Before Killing." ''New York Times.'' January 23, 1970.


External links

*
Plot summary for ''Act of Vengeance''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yablonski, Joseph American trade union leaders United Mine Workers of America people Activists from Pittsburgh American trade unionists of Polish descent 1910 births People murdered in 1969 1969 deaths Deaths by firearm in Pennsylvania People murdered in Pennsylvania People from Greene County, Pennsylvania Assassinated trade unionists