The UMWA on March 17 won an injunction stopping CONSOL Energy from unilaterally terminating negotiated health care benefits and forcing thousands of CONSOL retirees to buy temporary insurance. This injunction applies to those CONSOL retirees who received a notice from the company that they needed to sign up for a new benefit plan by March 31.
“CONSOL illegally tried to terminate negotiated benefits and force retirees to buy a radically different plan that provided fewer benefits,” UMWA International President Cecil Roberts said. “We filed suit in federal court in West Virginia and won an injunction stopping CONSOL’s scheme. Retirees don’t have to change anything. CONSOL must continue providing benefits exactly as they have been for years and cannot force you to change your benefits.”
This settlement does not apply to those retirees from Patriot, Walter Energy or Alpha whose benefits will expire on May 1 if Congress does not pass the Miners Protection Act.
