Automation in coal mining has increased productivity and reduced employment in the industry.

Labor songs were sung at home, on the job and on the picket line. Let’s look at the history, starting with “Harlan County, U.S.A.”

“Harlan County U.S.A.” depicts a labor dispute in a coal town with a violent history, where organized workers waged a 13-month strike to check the power of an industry in which employers have long had the upper hand.