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UMW endorses Manchin, McKinley, Ojeda campaigns

Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail The United Mine Workers of America issued a batch of campaign endorsements Friday, backing candidates on both sides of the aisle for federal office. Re-election campaigns for Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., will have the UMW’s support, as will state Sen. Richard Ojeda, D-Logan, in his run for […]

Mason County EMS workers want to unionize, officials say

Source: Fox 11 MASON COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH) — Emergency services workers told the Mason County Commission Thursday most of the county’s ambulance crew wants to unionize. A majority prefer the United Mine Workers of America. United Mine Workers of America officials say it has mined enough support to unionize ambulance workers in Mason County. The commission […]

Coal Country Rebelled Against Trump’s Candidate Last Night. Here’s Why.

Source: MotherJones.com A few days before Democratic candidate Conor Lamb eked out a narrow lead over Republican opponent Rick Saccone in Pennsylvania’s special election for the House, President Trump was on the campaign trail repeating a familiar tune to crowds of his supporters. “By the way folks, some of you who are in the coal world,” Trump […]

How a Democrat Succeeds in Trump Country

Source: The New York Times When the Democratic candidate Conor Lamb began his race in a special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district, he faced headwinds of the type that caused horizontal snow in the nor’easter last week. For starters, Donald Trump had won the district by 20 points in 2016. The district has been […]

Special Election Results in Trump County Give Democrats Hope

Source: Time.com Until very recently, Bob Rogers, a retired coal miner in his seventies, thought his party was dead. Rogers, who flew Chinook helicopters in Vietnam before spending 43 years in the mines of western Pennsylvania, is a lifelong Democrat, but for a while now has worried that people like him had been forgotten by […]

Unions Show Their Force In Pennsylvania District Won By Trump

Source: The Huffington Post WAYNESBURG, Pa. ― Over 200 coal miners, family members and local activists crowded into a hall at the Greene County fairgrounds Sunday afternoon in Pennsylvania’s rural southwest corner. The attendees, many of them retirees in their 60s and 70s clad in the United Mine Workers of America’s signature camouflage-patterned regalia, were […]

Our Promise to Miners Must be Kept

Source: The Register Herald Among the many issues in the news, the one that is missing serious attention is passage of the American Miners Pension Act. This act pertains to securing promised benefits to nearly 87,000 coal miner retirees, widows and future retirees in the negotiated United Mine Workers of America 1974 Pension Plan. Passage […]

UMWA president delivers fiery endorsement for Lamb in 18th District race

Source: Observer-Reporter WAYNESBURG – The president of the United Mine Workers of America delivered a fiery endorsement Sunday in Greene County of Conor Lamb in the race for the Pennsylvania U.S. House’s 18th District, saying the Democrat will work to protect Social Security, Medicare and coal miner pensions. Cecil Roberts, speaking like a fire and […]

Cecil Roberts: I support WV teachers because I support WV kids

Source: Charleston Gazette Mail The bold actions by West Virginia’s teachers, school support personnel and other state employees to stand up for our state and our schoolchildren over these last two weeks are an inspiration. To see these normally reserved, compassionate professionals take a proud position to improve their pay, for better security of their […]

Rescue Imperiled Pension Programs

Source: Wheeling Intelligencer Imagine everyone who lives in Wheeling suddenly being told their incomes are being cut off. Imagine them being old enough that they had few prospects of replacing that loss. Now you have some idea of the disaster facing families throughout our state and in other coal mining regions. Slightly more than 27,000 […]

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