How illegal Great Depression-era PA coal miners fought cops, banks, and bosses to unionize

The onset of the Great Depression brought devastation to Pennsylvania's coal region. Suddenly rendered unemployed, coal miners with no other way to make a living turned to 'bootleg' mining, setting up their own mines. The only problem was that legally, they were on company property—specifically, property owned by the likes of JP Morgan. What unfolded was a vicious, heroic, and almost unbelievable fight to unionize the coal fields by workers whose livelihoods were labelled 'illegal.' TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez sits down with Mitch Troutman to discuss his new book, <a href="https://www.bootlegcoal.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Bootleg Coal Rebellion: The Pennsylvania Miners Who Seized an Industry, 1925-1942</a>.<br /><br />Mitch Troutman is a writer, educator, organizer, and member of <a href="https://anthraciteunite.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anthracite Unite</a>.<br /><br />Post-Production: Jules Taylor<br /><br />Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer:<br /><br />Donate: <a href="https://therealnews.com/donate-pod" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://therealnews.com/donate-pod</a><br />Sign up for our newsletter: <a href="https://therealnews.com/newsletter-pod" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://therealnews.com/newsletter-pod</a><br />Like us on Facebook: <a href="https://facebook.com/therealnews" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://facebook.com/therealnews</a><br />Follow us on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/therealnews" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://twitter.com/therealnews</a>