FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 3, 2021
Bankruptcy Court ruling against Consol a victory for former Murray Energy miners, retirees
[TRIANGLE, VA.] Commenting on Monday’s ruling by the Ohio federal Bankruptcy Court overseeing the bankruptcy of the former Murray Energy which denied Consol Energy’s attempt to overturn the bankruptcy case, United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:
“The Court’s decision means that Consol cannot shed its liabilities under the Coal Act in another company’s bankruptcy proceeding. That was the right decision and it validates the work the UMWA and our Local Unions did to preserve the jobs of nearly 2,000 of our members in that bankruptcy.
“Let’s be clear about this: Consol’s meddling in this bankruptcy case was a blatant attempt to keep a successful company from emerging from the Murray bankruptcy. It was trying to destroy the jobs of those 2,000 miners. That failed. It was trying to get out of its obligation to thousands of retirees under the Coal Act. That failed, too.
“Now Consol needs to live up to its obligation under the law and ensure that these retirees – all of whom worked for Consol – get the health care it promised them and they earned through decades of incredibly hard work.”
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