coal cracker

Noun

 * 1)  A native or established resident of the traditional coal-mining area of northeastern Pennsylvania; a worker in the mines of this region.
 * 2) * 2008, Gene Gomolka, Coal Cracker's Son, ISBN 9781462826438, Back cover (Google books):
 * Pawel Gobol is Joey's humble father, a coal cracker who worked in the mines since he was 15.
 * Pawel Gobol is Joey's humble father, a coal cracker who worked in the mines since he was 15.

Usage notes

 * Often used with the connotation that the person so designated comes from a modest, blue-collar background.