The following song was written by Florence Reece in 1931. She
was the wife of Sam Reece, a union organizer for the United Mine
Workers in Harlan County, Kentucky. In 1931, the miners of that
region were locked in a bitter and violent struggle with the
mine owners. In an attempt to intimidate the Reece family,
Sheriff J. H. Blair and his men (hired by the mining company)
illegally entered the Reece family home in search of Sam Reece.
Sam had been warned in advance and escaped, but Florence and
their children were terrorized in his place. That night, after
the men had gone, Florence wrote the lyrics to "Which Side Are
You On?" on a calendar that hung in the kitchen of her home.
Republicans Won’t Stop Their Assault on Unions Until Every State
is Right-to-Work Happy Labor Day! Buy American and look for the
union label.