Rhondda District secretary, Williams Davies, disappeared partway through a lock out in 1875,[3] and the AAM collapsed soon afterwards.
Retention was good partly because the union worked with colliery clerks to deduct subscriptions directly from members' wages.
[8] The union was led by an executive committee, which alone held the ability to order industrial action and determine strike pay.
It supported the "sliding scale", whereby wages rose and fell in line with the export price of coal, agreed through a joint committee with employers.
[7] The union's other leading figure was its treasurer, Thomas Davies, owner of a pub in Ton Pentre.