A.F.S.C.M.E. Local 1398

04/12/2026

This week is about you 🙌

11/16/2025

09/15/2025

On May 12, 1902, nearly 147,000 anthracite coal miners across Northeastern Pennsylvania laid down their tools and walked off the job. What followed was one of the most important labor strikes in American history.

For 163 days, through spring, summer, and into fall—the coal fields of Luzerne, Lackawanna, Schuylkill, and Carbon Counties fell silent. Miners, many of them immigrants, demanded safer conditions, shorter hours, and better pay. They wanted a 20% raise and an 8-hour day.

Mine owners refused. Families went without wages. The country braced for winter with coal supplies running dangerously low. Public sympathy began to shift toward the miners.
Then came something unheard of: President Theodore Roosevelt stepped in. Instead of siding with the coal barons, he threatened to seize the mines with federal troops unless the owners came to the table.

By October, an arbitration commission was created. The strike ended after five and a half months. The miners didn’t get everything they asked for—but they won a 10% pay raise and their workday was cut from 10 to 9 hours.
It was the first time the federal government acted as a neutral broker in a labor dispute and it all happened right here in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The 1902 Anthracite Strike wasn’t just about coal. It was about dignity, fairness, and the power of workers to change history.

02/22/2025

02/14/2025

07/15/2024

05/12/2024

As we conclude National Correctional Officers Week, Council 13 thanks the officers and staff who keep our communities secure.

Take a look back at K9 Officer and AFSCME Local 1738 member Allen Cromley sharing his experiences on ABC 27: https://www.abc27.com/good-day-pa/afscme-member-allen-cromley/

04/16/2024

Thank to all the men & women of Luzerne County 911 for their service & dedication.