Betty Jean Hall: the lawyer who broke down barriers for women in mining

Betty Jean Hall, a pioneering lawyer who dedicated her life to advocating for women in the mining industry, passed away on Aug. 16, at the age of 78.

Her work in the 1970s opened doors for women in the United States coal industry, a field that had long been dominated by men, with a history steeped in gender discrimination and dangerous working conditions.

She founded the Coal Employment project in 1978. The organization filed a federal complaint against 153 coal companies, accusing them of blatant discrimination and demanding they open their ranks to women.

Hall’s efforts resulted in legal settlements that not only provided back pay to women who had been denied jobs but also secured future hiring commitments from mining companies. This landmark achievement allowed women in coal-producing regions to pursue jobs that were often their only hope for supporting their families.

Fair treatment

Hall’s work didn’t stop at getting women hired; she also focused on ensuring they were treated fairly on the job. She documented cases of severe workplace harassment, including sexual assaults and unsafe working conditions. 

“Sure, coal mining is hard work, but so is housework and so is working in sewing factories for minimum wages,” Hall told the New York Times in 1979. “If they have to choose between making $6,000 a year in a factory and mining coal for $60 or more a day, they’ll go into the mines.”

By 1983, Hall’s work had brought thousands of women into the mining workforce, and the National Conference of women miners, which she helped grow, became a platform for addressing the unique challenges faced by women miners. The group played a crucial role in rallying support for the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, protecting workers who needed time off to care for sick family members.

Later, Hall was appointed to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Benefits Review Board as an appeals judge. She became chief judge and chair of the board before retiring in 2019.

Hall’s impact on the coal industry was recognized by labour leader Richard Trumka, who remarked at a 1983 conference, “Most men in the mines today would agree it’s been our good luck, not our bad luck, that you joined our ranks in the mines.”