The United Mine Workers of America is no stranger to adversity. For the last 125 years we have stood in the face of despair with a level of brass unrivaled by anyone in Organized Labor. Our tremendous faith in God, our Solidarity, our Unity and our love for each other has allowed us to reach prosperity and dignity through struggles that would have brought a lesser Union to its knees. We are fighting right now in Washington to preserve your hard earned and promised Healthcare benefits. We need your help as we make a final push toward passing the life-saving legislation known as House Resolution 934: The Health Benefits For Miners Act of 2019 and Senate Bill S. 27: The American Miners Act.
I strongly urge you to contact your Member of Congress and Senators and ask them to support the retired coal miners that have given so much of their lives to power and energize this nation. Congress must pass these bills before the end of the year. The Congressional switchboard number is 202-224-3121. Please remind them of America’s promise to the miners Harry Truman made in 1946.
However as your President, I would not be doing my job if I did not advise you to start taking precautions to secure Healthcare, which is all too often a matter of life and death. Congress may not act before the end of the year, which would mean the Westmoreland Employer Plan will run out of funding on December 31, 2019. In most cases the action that you need to take to ensure that you do not see a lapse in coverage will need to be completed no later than December 7, 2019. You should begin the process of getting information and contact numbers for you to begin the process of securing Healthcare. That is why we have put a packet of information together, so that you have the initial resources you need to shop for coverage options.
We will continue our fight in Congress for your health care for as long as is necessary. But we also need to be prepared in case Congress fails to act. We will contact you again well before December 7th with further information about this, including if we believe you need you to purchase one of the coverage options, we are asking you to research. We should have a better idea of the status of our legislation at that time.
The UMWA will never quit fighting for the benefits you have so rightfully earned. We will last “one day longer” until we get the job done. God Bless You, and the United Mine Workers of America.
In Solidarity,
Cecil Roberts
International President
Click here for a copy of the full informational packet.
