FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 13, 2025
UMWA statement on WV State of the State
[CHARLESTON, W. Va.] Commenting on the State of the State address delivered by Gov. Patrick Morrisey last night, United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:
“We welcome the Governor’s goal of making West Virginia into America’s ‘Energy State.’ Indeed, the UMWA has called for that for many years. Our state is blessed with an abundance of natural resources that, used in a responsible way, can drive our nation’s energy dominance for decades to come.
“We also echo the Governor’s call to explore innovative ways to reduce regulation to make our energy development become more productive, as long as it does not come at the expense of workers’ safety or the degradation of our communities. Workers and their families have borne the brunt of unsafe workplaces and devastated communities for too long. If we are to have a new day in West Virginia, it needs to start with uplifting working people.
“We stand ready to work with anyone to develop strategies to strengthen the coal industry while ensuring that coal miners are paid good wages, have good health care benefits and are safe and healthy on the job. We also look forward to positive solutions that benefit workers throughout our state who have been impacted by the unsustainable rising costs of PEIA.
“We urge the Governor to address the shortfalls in lagging wages of our public employees compared to all our neighboring states. Bringing West Virginia to victory in his “Backyard Brawl” with our border states will require driving up wages and benefits to make West Virginia competitive in workforce participation and development.”
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