It was organized in Clarksville, Pennsylvania in April 1970 after the funeral of Joseph ‘‘Jock’’ Yablonski, after the current president hired assassins for his murder.
[1][2] MFD formed with the mission to challenge the UMWA's current administration, decentralize the union and bring power back to the rank-and-file miners.
[3] MFD worked closely with the Black Lung Association (BLA), who also openly opposed the Boyle administration.
[5] MFD stood in opposition to corruption that was taking place within the UMW's administration throughout Tony Boyle's time as president of the union.
[6] In the decade leading up to the murder of Joseph Yablonski, author John Gaventa claims that many rank-and-file members of the union saw UMWA leadership as becoming dictatorial and corrupt.
[16] On January 20, 1970, a former campaign manager for Yablonski, Chairman Mike Trbovich, allowed Joe Rauh to officially challenge the 1969 UMWA election.
The following year, Boyle was arrested for and convicted of the murder of Joseph, Margret and Charlotte Yablonski, which in itself was the biggest driving force behind the group's formation, according to Montrie.
[18] They found the evidence they needed to convict Boyle in September 1973, where he was given three life sentences for the hiring of assassins to carry out the murder.
[20] At this convention, they chose Arnold Miller as the presidential candidate, due to his work as the president of a union local and as a leader in the BLA.
[20] The two main issues addressed at the convention to be included in the platform were relating to mine health and safety, and reform of the corrupt administration of the union.
[21] The shift between administrations required some interference from the Department of Labor, to maintain that Boyle did not try to rig the ballots or intimidate voters.
[6] The use of the Landrum-Griffin Act proved to be a necessity for MFD's victory, and the mobilization of legal resources, mixed with the fire lit from the murder of Yablonski helped the insurgent miners overthrow the Boyle administration.
The Trbovich case provided precedent for other unions and social movement groups, ensuring the federal government intervenes to make sure all interests are represented equally.
[24] Miller and his colleagues were concerned that the organization may pose a threat to union stability if allowed to continue, and they came to the decision to dismantle MFD.