When labor strikes are mentioned in Copper Country, people often think of 1913-1914, with images of the Italian Hall massacre and children marching with signs supporting their families. However, it can be argued that the strike of 1968-1969 was even more important to the region.
The strike of 1968-1969 started soon after Universal Oil Products (UOP) purchased the Calumet and Hecla company when 200 men walked out of the Kingston Mine near Ahmeek. Miners had noticed some safety features not working, though UOP denied the claims. That walkout was short-lived, but a few months later during contract negotiations, a nine-month stand-off between the United Steelworkers of America and UOP started.
It’s unlikely the union expected the strike to end with the closing of the mines entirely, but that was the result. On Apr. 9, 1969, the Calumet division of the UOP shut down, and 1,200 jobs were lost along with it. This marked the end of copper mining in the Keweenaw Peninsula.
