Face Boss

by Guillerman, Michael D.

• ISBN13: 9781572336933
• ISBN10: 1572336935
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-11-01
• Publisher: Univ of Tennessee Pr

Summary

Face Boss tells a story that few people have heard: what it is really like to labor inside the dark and dangerous world of a vast underground coal mine. With unflinching honesty, as well as considerable humor and insight, Michael Guillerman recalls his nearly eighteen years of working as both a union miner and a salaried section foreman-or "face boss"-at the Peabody Coal Company's Camp No. 2 mine in Union County, Kentucky.

Author Biography

Michael D. Guillerman worked for the Peabody Coal Company from 1974 to 1991. Over his long career, his jobs included belt shoveler, timberman, shooter, drill and shuttle car operator, rock duster, and finally section: foreman. Now retired, he lives with his wife, Marie, in Union County, Kentucky.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Coal in Union County	p. 1
My First Impressions of Coal Mining	p. 5
Millions of Tons of Coal	p. 13
Mine Construction	p. 19
Becoming a UMWA Coal Miner	p. 25
Working Underground	p. 37
Inside a Conventional Mining Unit	p. 49
Coal Preparation on a Conventional Mining Unit	p. 61
Loading Coal, Roof Bolting, and the Introduction of the Continuous Miner	p. 71
Underground Beltlines: Conveying Coal to the Stockpile	p. 81
The United Mine Workers of America	p. 87
The Coal Boom and My First Assigned Unit	p. 93
The "Wild West"	p. 101
My First Bossing Assignment: Hard Times	p. 109
No. 5 Unit: Good Times	p. 117
Women in the Mines	p. 131
Race Relations	p. 139
Camp No. 2 Anecdotes	p. 145
Labor Conflicts and Instability	p. 173
Acid Rain Legislation and Mine Layoffs	p. 181
Coal Dust Surveys and Violations	p. 187
The Big Mine Fire of 1984 and the Push to Reopen die North	p. 197
The TVA and the Alleged Camp Complex Improprieties of 1984	p. 205
A New Superintendent and a Methane Ignition	p. 209
The 1985 Camp Complex Shutdown and Reopening	p. 223
A New Beginning	p. 231
Super Units, Heart Problems, and an Inundation on No. 3 Unit	p. 243
Squeezes on No. 3 and No. 5 Units	p. 251
No. 2 Unit-my Last	p. 257
Epilogue	p. 263
Glossary of Mining Terms and Slang	p. 268
Camp No. 2 Personnel	p. 281
MSHA Commentary on Camp No. 2 Mine Fire of 1984	p. 289
Newspaper Articles on Alleged Irregularities at Camp Complex	p. 299
Report on October 1985 Methane Ignition	p. 311
Report on March 1990 Inundation Accident	p. 317
Notes	p. 323
Index	p. 337
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