Read the excerpt from "Finding Unity in the Alabama Coal Mines.” The UMWA’s efforts were so successful that they influenced practices in other trade unions as well. In 1901, arguments raised by UMWA members led to the repeal of discriminatory practices at the Birmingham Trades Council, the organization to which all unions in the city of Birmingham belonged. Two years later, in 1903, the coal companies began to assert significant power against the union, denying union contracts and instituting policies of hiring only non-union employees. In 1908, under the auspices of the Alabama Coal Operators Association, company owners voted to cut worker wages by seventeen percent. What is the effect of telling this story in chronological order?
Answer
A
It helps the reader understand how the UMWA affected labor movements through history.
B
It helps the reader understand how the coal companies responded to the repeal of discriminatory practices.
C
It helps the reader understand how the coal companies eventually started following nondiscriminatory practices.
D
It helps the reader understand how the UMWA and the coal companies began working toward the same goal.
Explanation
The dates show the developments in sequence: UMWA members helped end discriminatory practices in 1901, then coal companies challenged the union in 1903 and cut wages in 1908. This timeline helps readers follow the UMWA’s influence and its changing impact on labor movements over time. It does not show the coal companies adopting nondiscriminatory practices or working toward the union’s goals.
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