FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 28, 2024
UMWA responds to Iron Senergy threat to close Cumberland mine in Greene County, PA.
[UNIONTOWN, PA.] Responding to a plan filed by Iron Senergy, Inc., to permanently close the Cumberland mine in Greene County, Pennsylvania, United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:
“Yesterday, the UMWA received a copy of a plan filed by Iron Senergy with the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration to permanently close its Cumberland mine. The company did not communicate with us in advance regarding this plan, and in fact, is still refusing to talk to us about it at all.
“All underground workers at the mine were sent home on March 19, with no notice or any indication of when they may be returning to work, if at all. The company has failed to file a notice of mass layoff as required by the WARN Act and has failed to provide any information to anyone regarding the number of jobs that would be affected by this closure. Nor has it reached out regarding exploring potential ways to keep the mine open.
“There are some 550 UMWA members who work at that mine every day. In all, about 700 people work there, earning the highest wages and benefits in Greene and surrounding counties in southwestern Pennsylvania. When factoring in the jobs that support and are supported by the operation of that mine, we estimate there are between 2,500 and 3,000 jobs at risk in the local communities.
“This is a highly productive mine, with current long-term customers and significant reserves. It is making money and is not in any apparent financial distress. To abruptly put all those jobs at risk and not offer any explanation whatsoever is a slap in the face to every person in those communities. This is not how any employer should treat its workers and their families.
“The UMWA is prepared to work with management to find ways to keep this mine open and continue its essential economic contribution to Greene County and surrounding communities. We must be about the business of maintaining these jobs for our members, their families, and their communities. All we need is some indication from management that it is interested in those things as well.”
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