 But the maverick owner of the Portland mine, who had come to terms with the union five months earlier over the mill workers' strike, once again broke ranks with the other mine/mill operators and came to an agreement with the WFM.Five hundred miners returned to work,p.85 giving hope to the WFM leadership.The WFM wielded tremendous economic leverage in the Cripple Creek District.p.86 But merchants were concerned that the union seemed willing to hold the local economy hostage for the sake of mill workers outside the district.