Labor History Commons^™

Contentment And Control: The Stonega Coke & Coal Company & Pioneering Welfare Capitalism In Southwest Virginia, Christopher Lloyd Tomlinson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Founded in 1902, the Stonega Coke & Coal Company was the largest coal operator in Virginia throughout the twentieth century, becoming even larger through its merger with the Westmoreland Coal Company in 1964. Over the course of this long history, the company used a brand of welfare capitalism aimed at keeping miners and their families satisfied enough with their living and working conditions that the workers would develop a sense of loyalty to the company. Management at SC&C termed these practices “contentment sociology.” While many coal operators began shifting away from such practices during the New Deal, SC&C maintained and …