A Social Contract for the Coal Fields

Book excerpt: Mulcahy (history and political science, U. of Pittsburgh, Titusville) describes the United Mine Workers of America Welfare and Retirement Fund from its creation in 1946 to the termination of its medical service in 1978. Unlike other union-sponsored programs, the Fund was fully noncontributory, offered a pension over and above Social Security, and worked to secure the best medical treatment for its beneficiaries. Mulcahy's study, based upon the Fund's records, private papers, and interviews with surviving members of the Fund's staff, shows how the Fund was an exemplar of the New Deal Order. His analysis extends to the mismanagement by union officials and the changes in the industry which eventually undermined the program. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR