 In spite of intense pressure from others, Coates helped to persuade the governor not to send the Colorado National Guard.The commission was able to effect a settlement between the miners and the company, negotiating between union leader Vincent St. John and the Smuggler-Union Mine Company's general manager, Arthur L. Collins.In 1903, Coates was elected vice president of the American Labor Union and became president of the union in 1905 following the resignation of Dan McDonald.