Detail View: Colorado Coal Project: 1978 interview with Mike Livoda (part 1 of 2)

Colorado Coal Project

1978 interview with Mike Livoda (part 1 of 2)

Margolis, Eric, 1947-

http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n00101170

McMahan, Ronald L.

http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no94033808

Coal Strike (Colorado : 1913-1914)

http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1404237

Coal mines and mining--Colorado--Las Animas County

Interviews

http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1423832

Jones, Mother, 1837-1930

http://id.worldcat.org/fast/1730605

Labor disputes--Colorado

Strikes and lockouts--Coal mining--Colorado

http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85128770

United Mine Workers of America

http://id.worldcat.org/fast/515758

Coal miners--Personal narratives

Coal mines and mining

http://id.worldcat.org/fast/865355

Coal mines and mining--Colorado--Huerfano County

00:05:00 -- Mike Livoda's early days in America and in the mines; 00:10:00 -- Working conditions and pay caused miners to demand union contracts; 00:15:00 -- Sheriff Farr confronts Mike, memories of the 1913 era; 00:20:00 -- Rockefeller reforms after the strike, Mike resumes pre-strike memories; 00:25:00 -- Mike's resolve tested and strengthened by his beating in Ravenwood; 00:30:00 -- Mike discusses the strike call for the 1913/1914 strike; 00:35:00 -- Trying to bolster morale at the start of the strike, Mike sings "Union, forever."; 00:40:00 -- Days before and the day of the Ludlow Massacre; 00:45:00 -- Community lends support after the massacre, Mike's activities after strike ends; 00:50:00 -- Mike organizes steelworkers in Pennsylvania and Ohio; 00:55:00 -- Livoda organizes in Canada, his role in the 1927 strike by the IWW ("Wobblies"); 01:00:00 -- Mike compares the IWW vs. U.M.W.A, he recalls the Columbine Mine Massacre; 01:05:00 -- Mike recalls Louis Tikas, 1917 contract struggle with Victor American Fuel Co; 01:10:00 -- 1917 Hastings mine explosion, recollections of Sheriff Farr and General Chase; 01:15:00 -- Mike recalls Hamrock, Linderfeldt, MacKenzie King and John D. Rockefeller, Jr.; 01:20:00 -- Memories of Mother Jones, Emma Goldman, Western Federation of Miners, and copper strike in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; 01:22:50 -- ends.

timeline

Mike Livoda poses with his Winchester 30-30 rifle; he was 88 years old at time of this interview. He started mining in 1903 (Midland, Pennsylvania). All of his coworkers spoke Serbo-Croat, but he wanted to learn English. He left for Alaska, but got only as far as Montana. Mike mined coal in Red Lodge for 2 1/2 years. He wanted to see Denver and went to work at the Leyden mine -- but found it too close to the city. In 1910, when he moved to the southern part of state, there were 10,000 miners in two counties (Huerfano and Las Animas). Coal miners were paid only for production tonnage. Though the state law was 8 hours/day, the coal company required 10 hours and wouldn't allow any miner-hired checkweighmen. Mike felt the miners needed organization and were "exploited like a slave". John Lawson recruited him to organize for the U.M.W.A on 1 Jan. 1912. Company thugs began to follow his every move. Any miner talking to Mike would be fired, immediately: one was even fired for talking to ML on a Sunday. Mike was summoned to meet Sheriff Jeff Farr in a Walsenburg saloon. The sheriff told Mike, "I'm the king of this county. If you want to do any of your dirty work, you gonna have to do it someplace else, not in this county." Mike examines photos of union officials and local authorities, the armored car or "Death Special", and the four Linderfeldt brothers. President Wilson favored labor, but there was no Labor Dept. until 1913. Wilson appointed Frank P. Walsh, to represent public's interest and to chair a commission. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. came to Colorado to investigate; he eliminated company guards. Mike organized 9 local unions after the end of the strike through 1915. He resumes his story about the confrontation in Walsenburg with Sheriff Jeff Farr. Mike was forced to leave town and hide out in Ravenwood. He returned to Trinidad, but in June went to Ravenwood (where he was beaten and kicked by five men). He hid in a coal shed in Walsenburg for 2 days, until a doctor arrived. The attack made him more vigorous as an organizer; "I was protected by God, because I was doing something that the other people couldn't do themselves. I believe in that." When the 1913/14 coal strike began, Mike Livoda was needed more than ever. He shows an original strike call brochure; on 23 Sept. 1913, the strike began. It began to snow heavily on the first day of the strike at Ludlow. Mike traveled around to keep the striking miners together. He sings the union song, which opened every union meeting. On 28 Oct. 1913, there was a fight outside Ludlow. On the day of the Ludlow Massacre, he and Mike Lawson were in Trinidad. Mike rounded up 27 guns to protect the tent colony, and 400-500 men from Trinidad went to help the strikers. Livoda positioned the armed men in the "Black Hills" near Ludlow. They couldn't have a fire, for fear of betraying their positions. Supporters came from throughout the Trinidad community and all walks of life. They also organized to protect the other camps: Aguilar, Trinidad, Walsenburg, Forbes (Supt. Nicholson at Forbes was especially mean). Federal troops were expected Sat. afternoon, and Mike didn't sleep in a bed for a week. After the strike, he worked for the U.M.W.A. In 1918, he was sent to Pittsburgh to organize steel workers, with W. Z. Foster (later, Secretary of the American Communist Party). Livoda was also trying to support Phil Murray, candidate for CIO office in Pennsylvania. He sent Mike to Youngstown to help organize the Sheet and Tube Company. By moving union meetings nearer the workers, in 6 months they had organized 24,000 steelworkers. In 1919, Mike went to Calgary, Alberta to organize coal miners; they were being attracted to Communist Party. During the IWW ("Wobblies") strike in 1927, Mike Livoda was in Trinidad. Strikers were opposed by the Colorado Rangers. The sheriff asked Mike to vouch for the arrested miners, so they could be released. Miners were striking to improve conditions, such as pay for non-production work and the right to hire an impartial checkweighman. After formation of the NLRB (1935), miners couldn't be fired for union membership. Livoda compares the two unions: the IWW didn't really believe in contracts and allowed wildcat strikes; the U.M.W.A didn't promote socialism. During the 1927 Columbine mine massacre, Mike was in the southern part of state. He knew Henry Matthias. "Tikas was a fine, fine fella" Greeks had been brought in as strikebreakers, but Louis Tikas could speak to them and organize for the union. By March 1917, the Victor American Fuel Co. was near bankruptcy. The company faced pressure from financiers to get a union contract, to assure labor peace with their new funding. Mike tried to organize their workers in Hastings and Delagua, but couldn't get into the camps. In 1917, a gas explosion in the Hastings mine killed everyone below ground. Mine operators had to be forced to abide by safety regulations. Mike recalls Sheriff Jeff Farr ("that son of a bitch, I saw in hell"), who was kicked out of office due to election fraud. Chase was an officer in the Colorado national guard, whom Livoda called "Chase … a corporation man". Pat Hamrock (a saloon keeper from Denver) was in charge of company forces at Ludlow. Kate Livoda claims that one of the Linderfeldt boys killed Tikas. Mike considered Colorado Gov. Ammons a very weak person. MacKenzie King was brought from Canada and paid $25,000/year to run the "Rockefeller union" and the company plan. King and Rockefeller came to Ludlow for the dedication of the memorial, but were dissuaded from attending the ceremony. Mike met Rockefeller at the Harvey House in Trinidad. Mike shares his recollections of Mother Jones, who was on U.M.W.A payroll. Mike met Emma Goldman, who was with IWW. He also recalls the Western Federation of Miners (metal-miners) and the copper strike in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ends ~ 01:22:50.

summary

University of Colorado Boulder Archives

Livoda, Mike, 1886-1984

1978-06-01

Audio

audio/mp3

15-99A Livoda.mp3

https://ark.colorado.edu/ark:/47540/j1293b03f0w7

English

Title: 1978 interview with Mike Livoda (part 2 of 2)

isPartOf

https://ark.colorado.edu/ark:/47540/zg3q3187f5dh

Interview with Mike Livoda (part 3 of 4), including his wife, Kate

isFormatOf

https://ark.colorado.edu/ark:/47540/q6406299s277

Title: Interview with Mike Livoda (part 4 of 4)

isFormatOf

https://ark.colorado.edu/ark:/47540/n4912d9452sc

Las Animas County (Colorado, United States, North America) (civil)

1907/1978

Huerfano County (Colorado, United States, North America) (civil)

Trinidad (Las Animas, Colorado, United States, North America) (populated place)

Ludlow (Las Animas, Colorado, United States, North America) (populated place)

Walsenburg (Huerfano, Colorado, United States, North America) (populated place)