The 1914 Butte labor riots ended union recognition in the copper mines for two decades, reshaping labor relations in a major mining center.
Key Facts
- Location
- Butte, Montana
- Year
- 1914
- Rival unions
- Western Federation of Miners vs. dissident new union
- IWW involvement
- New union leadership included IWW members
- Open shop period
- 1914 to 1934 (20 years)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Copper miners in Butte grew dissatisfied with the local chapter of the Western Federation of Miners. A dissident faction, whose leadership included members and sympathizers of the Industrial Workers of the World, broke away to form a rival union and demanded all miners join it, using threats of beatings or forced expulsion to enforce compliance.
The competing factions clashed in a series of violent riots in 1914. Dissident miners confronted those loyal to the WFM local, creating open conflict in what had long been a stronghold of organized labor. Whether the dissidents represented a majority or a militant minority remained disputed, but the violence effectively paralyzed union operations in the city.
The conflict destroyed union cohesion in Butte's copper industry. Mine operators took advantage of the breakdown and converted to open shop employment, recognizing no union from 1914 until 1934, a period of twenty years during which organized labor lost its foothold in one of America's most prominent mining centers.
Political Outcome
Butte copper mines became open shop employers, recognizing no union from 1914 until 1934.
Western Federation of Miners held union recognition at Butte copper mines
No union recognized; mines operated as open shop for 20 years