Clarksville Pennsylvania is not too far from here
Coal miners were hoping for a brighter New Year
But for Jock Yablonski, his daughter and wife
The New Year brought an ending to their precious lives
Well it’s cold blooded murder friends, I’m talking about
Now who’s gonna stand up and who’s gonna fight
You better clean up that union, put it on solid ground
Get rid of that dirty trash, that keeps a working man down
Death bells were ringing as Jock made his plans
To save the U.M.W. for honest working men
So he ran against Tony Boyle, and all his dirty clan
But Tony hired a hit man, that was ]ock’s fatal end
Jock Yablonski was a coal miner’s friend
He fought for the rights of the working man
He begged the law to protect him, but they turned him down
Now Jock, his wife and daughter all lay beneath the ground
Uh Lord the poor miner, will his fight never end
They’ll abuse even murder him to further their plans
Oh where is his victory how will it stand?
It’ll stand when poor working men all join hands
Coal miners were hoping for a brighter New Year
But for Jock Yablonski, his daughter and wife
The New Year brought an ending to their precious lives
Well it’s cold blooded murder friends, I’m talking about
Now who’s gonna stand up and who’s gonna fight
You better clean up that union, put it on solid ground
Get rid of that dirty trash, that keeps a working man down
Death bells were ringing as Jock made his plans
To save the U.M.W. for honest working men
So he ran against Tony Boyle, and all his dirty clan
But Tony hired a hit man, that was ]ock’s fatal end
Jock Yablonski was a coal miner’s friend
He fought for the rights of the working man
He begged the law to protect him, but they turned him down
Now Jock, his wife and daughter all lay beneath the ground
Uh Lord the poor miner, will his fight never end
They’ll abuse even murder him to further their plans
Oh where is his victory how will it stand?
It’ll stand when poor working men all join hands
inviata da Dead End - 3/9/2012 - 14:30
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Joseph Albert "Jock" Yablonski (1910-1969), figlio di immigrati polacchi, è stato per due decenni il leader del sindacato dei minatori United Mine Workers in Pennsylvania. Suo padre, anche lui minatore, morì per un’esplosione in galleria. Leader carismatico e molto vicino alla base, già dai primi anni 60 Yablonski si scontrò con i vertici federali del sindacato ed in particolare con il presidente W. A. "Tony" Boyle, accusato di una gestione clientelare, corrotta e di essere più attento agli interessi delle compagnie che non a quelli dei lavoratori. Nel 1969 Yablonski sfidò apertamente Boyle candidandosi alle elezioni presidenziali del sindacato. Boyle sconfisse Yablonski ma questi denunciò al Ministero del Lavoro la natura fraudolenta di quella consultazione.
Il 31 dicembre 1969 tre killer assassinarono Jock Yablonski, la moglie Margaret e la figlia venticinquenne Charlotte mentre si preparavano a festeggiare l’ultimo dell’anno nella loro casa di Clarksville.
Boyle, pesantemente sospettato di essere il mandante della strage, professò la propria estraneità e mantenne la presidenza fino al 1972 quando fu indagato prima per aver raccolto finanziamenti illegali per la sua campagna elettorale e poi fu imputato dell’omicidio di Yablonski e dei suoi familiari. Boyle fu condannato all’ergastolo una prima volta nel 1974 e poi la pena fu confermata in tutti gli appelli successivi. Il corrotto despota dell’UMWA, mandante dell’assassinio del rivale, morì in carcere nel 1985.