On September 4, 2019, UMWA International President, Cecil E. Roberts spoke at the National Press Club about the future of the coal industry and what effect he believes proposed climate change legislation and initiatives will have on the jobs outlook for coal producing regions. He also discussed energy and coal issues and how they will affect the 2020 election.
“I speak for the more than 100,000 who have died in this nation’s coal mines since the founding of our union in 1890, and the more than 100,000 who have died from Black Lung, an occupational disease caused by breathing too much dust in the mine atmosphere…I speak for those who work in the coal mines today, and who only seek to provide a decent, middle-class lifestyle for their families…And I speak for all of those who did the hard work — including many who made the ultimate sacrifice — to form our union and those who still do the hard work in local union halls across America to keep our union strong.”
You can watch the entire press conference here.
