Hinges in Collective Action: Strategic Innovation in The Pittston Coal Strike

Abstract

Employing the case of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) 1989-1990 strike against the Pittston Coal Group, this article examines the UMWA collective action repertoire and the possibility of its transformation during the strike. The concepts of modularity and collective action repertoire highlight the UMWA's experimentation with different collective actions, its importation of actions new to the union, and its elimination of unsuccessful or high-risk elements that had been part of the union's conventional strike practices. This article introduces the concept of a "hinge in collective action" as a way of understanding changes in the UMWA's change in repertoire, and concludes with reflections on directions for future research.