FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 30, 2025
UMWA, USW Disappointed by Court’s Denial of Motion to Intervene in Silica Rule Case
United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and the United Steelworkers (USW) issued the following statement today regarding the Eighth Circuit Court’s decision to deny their motion to intervene in the lawsuit brought by the National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association seeking to overturn the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) silica dust rule:
“The court’s decision to exclude the voices of workers from this case is profoundly disheartening. They are the ones whose lives are on the line, yet they are being shut out of a process that directly affects their health and their future.
“Despite this ruling, we will not stop fighting to ensure that mine workers are protected from silica exposure. Every day this rule is delayed is another day that miners are exposed to the deadly dust that causes the worst forms of black lung – an incurable disease that this rule will help to prevent.
“We remain determined to hold accountable those who seek to undermine worker protections and will continue to press for full and immediate implementation of the silica rule. We sincerely hope that MSHA remembers its primary responsibility is to keep miners safe and healthy on the job and joins us in that fight sooner rather than later.”
