As the rebel candidate for the presidency of the United Mine Workers of America, Joseph (“Jock”) Yablonski charged that the U.M.W. was “the most notoriously dictatorial labor union in America.” When he was defeated by Incumbent W.A. (“Tony”) Boyle last December, Yablonski protested that the election had been a fraud. After Yablonski, his wife and 25-year-old daughter were found murdered, Boyle still dismissed the fraud charges as “wild allegations” and claimed that his union had been the “victim of a journalistic lynching bee.” Last week the Labor Department moved to vindicate Jock Yablonski. It asked federal courts to throw out the election on the grounds of gross voting irregularities. Read more
