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Associate Membership Spotlight

Phil Wallace

 

Brother Phil Wallace’s dedication to the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) spans several years, marking him as a committed Associate Member of the union. His journey in the labor movement is intertwined with his extensive experience in the printing industry, where he has dedicated an impressive 47 years of service. Currently at the helm of Ohio Valley Printing Company in Martin’s Ferry, Ohio, Brother Wallace’s professional background in printing has not only contributed to his success but has also become a valuable asset in supporting the UMWA and District 31.

“Over the years, Phil has produced materials for the UMWA and District 31,” said District 31 Vice President Michael Payton. “He is a huge support for Local Union 1304 and his neighboring local union brothers and sisters.” His unwavering support extends beyond organizational boundaries, encompassing the broader community of local union brothers and sisters who rely on his advocacy and dedication.

Beyond his professional and union affiliations, Brother Wallace’s public service extends to his past role as the Mayor of Martin’s Ferry. Despite transitioning from this position, his commitment to community and labor remains steadfast, as evidenced by his continued active involvement in local union politics. Presently serving as the Head of the Democratic Party in Belmont County, Brother Wallace has seamlessly blended his civic and union responsibilities, showcasing a multifaceted commitment to both political and labor causes.

In summary, Brother Phil Wallace emerges as a seasoned individual whose contributions span the realms of business, labor, and politics. His legacy as an Associate Member of the UMWA is not only marked by years of service but also by a deep-seated commitment to the betterment of his community and the causes he champions.

Union Plus: Presidents’ Day Car Shopping

Shop union-made cars this Presidents’ Day with the Union Plus Auto Buying Service. Search and compare new or used vehicles from popular brands to find a car that fits your budget and lifestyle. Plus, don’t miss your union-member benefits:

  • Ready to sell your car? Get a cash offer from a local dealer in minutes.

  • $100 rebate on new union-made cars*

  • Remote paperwork and vehicle delivery options available

Get up to $2,000 in Auto Repair and Auto Deductible Reimbursements**

 

Search Vehicles

 

Disclaimer:
*If you purchase a new, qualifying union-assembled vehicle, you will receive a gift card for $100 within 6 to 8 weeks after purchase. (The gift cards come from Union Plus and not from the dealer). Union Plus receives a monthly report on the sales activity from the program provider to verify that a gift card should be sent to a member who purchased a qualifying vehicle. This process is automatic, there are no forms to complete. Keep a copy of your Union Plus Auto Buying referral email that can assist in researching your purchase if you think you qualified for a rebate but did not receive a gift card.
**Some benefits not available in NY or NH. Terms and conditions apply. Auto Deductible Reimbursement is provided by Voyager Indemnity Insurance Company, an Assurant company.

‘If he’s a Democrat, than I’m Batman:’ UMWA president blasts Blankenship candidacy

SOURCE: WV NEWS

JANUARY 29, 2024

 

CHARLESTON, W.V.a. (WV News) — The latest candidate to join the race to represent West Virginia in the U.S. Senate is a “fraud,” according to the president of the United Mine Workers of America.

In a statement released Monday, long-serving UMWA President Cecil Roberts denounced the candidacy of former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship.

Blankenship, who spent time in federal prison for the misdemeanor charge of conspiring to willfully violate mine safety and health standards after the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster, filed to run for the Senate seat currently occupied by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., on Friday.

Previously a Republican, Blankenship officially switched his party affiliation and is running as a Democrat.

“I have seen a lot of things happen in West Virginia politics over the years, but seeing Don Blankenship file to run for the United States Senate as a Democrat may be the most fraudulent and cynical move I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying a lot,” Roberts said.

The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster resulted in the deaths of 29 miners, the deadliest mining disaster in the country since 1970, according to data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

“Don Blankenship does not care about working families. He does not care one second about labor laws, health and safety laws, environmental laws — anything that can help ordinary people improve their lives, he is against it,” Roberts said. “I don’t agree with the positions Democrats have on several issues, but also don’t know a single Democrat in West Virginia or anywhere else who shares Don Blankenship’s worldview. If he’s a Democrat, then I’m Batman.”

Blankenship, during a phone interview with WV News shortly after he filed his candidacy paperwork with the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office, said he switched his party affiliation about “eight months ago or more.”

“When I ran in 2018, they sort of violated their party,” he said. “They put out stories that were false, but the most important thing to me is this drug epidemic in West Virginia is not being addressed by the Republican Party, and neither are the problems in the country.”

His biggest reason for running is to help residents realize “our enemy is the government and the politicians, and which party you’re in doesn’t really matter,” Blankenship said.

“The government is American’s worst enemy, and they are in fact destroying America while we’re being led to believe that there’s a fight between the left and right going on, when in fact it’s the government destroying us.”

In a statement released Monday responding to the reactions to his candidacy, Blankenship said former President Barack Obama and the UMWA are responsible for the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster.

“The Democrat-controlled U.S. government under President Obama, and during their ‘War on American Coal,’ and with the assistance of former UMWA executives, caused the UBB explosion,” he said.

Blankenship ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 as a Republican, vying unsuccessfully against West Virginia Attorney Patrick Morrisey for the GOP nomination.

Blankenship finished third in 2018 GOP primary. He received 27,478 votes, or about 19.97% of the vote.

Blankenship unsuccessfully ran for president in 2020 as a Constitution Party candidate.

Written by: Charles Young

Improving Health and Safety for Modern Miners a Priority for UMWA

Source: America’s Workforce Radio

January 1, 2024

 

 

Happy New Year’s Day! Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mine Workers of America, joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the Warrior Met Strike in Alabama, outdated protective equipment for miners, and the dangers of silica dust.

Roberts began by detailing the two-year Warrior Met Strike in Alabama. He said the coal company was the target of many protests because management did not try to negotiate for a Collective Bargaining Agreement. Roberts called the company anti-union and discussed why the miners were forced to return to work. He noted the UMWA invested about $35 million into the strike. Once the company succeeded in getting individuals back to work, Warrior Met unsuccessfully attempted to dismantle the union. This plan ended up backfiring on the employers who claimed no involvement, Roberts said. 

Roberts then spoke about silica dust, which has affected a large number of young miners, who have developed “black lung disease.” He explained how the dust is created by equipment that cuts through rock and puts silica dust into the air, which is then inhaled by the miners. When the dust is inhaled for an extended period through outdated safety equipment, workers get sick. He noted the only cure for “black lung” is a lung transplant. Sadly, he added that Congress has blocked the implementation of a new silica dust rule.

Finally, Roberts discussed the use of outdated protective equipment. He explained how the masks that miners wear put them at risk of suffocation and death due to multiple breathing hazards. Roberts urged the public to fight against a Congressional plan to end needed safety funding and introduce new bills to implement better health and safety measures for miners. The industry is in a decline because workers die from a disease they contract at the workplace, Roberts said. He added that coal companies need to make sure workers are not allowed to enter an area until silica dust is at safe levels.

For more updates on the UMWA and President Roberts, listen to the episode above.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments, and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America’s workers and their families can hear discussions on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports, and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Auto Workers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

Miners Who Died in Robena Explosion Remembered

Source: Herald-Standard

December 7, 2023

On Dec. 6, 1962, workers headed to the mine Robena No. 3 traveled there in bad, snowy weather.

“Little did they know their peril didn’t lie in their journey there but what would take place that fateful day,” said Ed Yankovich Jr., a member of United Mine Workers of American (UMWA) Local Union #1980.

An explosion near the mine’s Frosty Run Shaft, caused by an accumulation of methane gas and coal dust, killed 37 miners.

Wednesday marked 61 years since their deaths. Officials held a memorial service at the Robena Monument off Route 21, just west of the former Hatfield Power Plant.

At 18, Albert Bronakoski was the youngest miner who died in the explosion, a Penn State student studying to be a mining engineer — mining despite his father Adam, a superintendent of the Shannopin mine in Bobtown, forbidding it.

One of the oldest miners to die in the Greene County mine disaster was Alex Marra, a 62-year-old first-generation Italian immigrant who planned to retire the following spring.

Tragedies like the Robena Mine explosion, along with the Farmington, W. Va., mining disaster in 1968, led to the adoption of the Federal Coal Mine and Health and Safety Act of 1969.

“These men didn’t die in vain,” Yankovich said, adding that miners and other workers live today because of the lessons learned from disasters like Robena.

Chuck Knisell, the international vice president of UMWA District #2, said the sacrifices made 61 years ago have helped the workers of today.

“The folks that work at the Cumberland Mine — men and women who go to work at the Cumberland Mine every day — have it better because of what happened to these men,” Knisell said. “They died to make things better for us.”

Although conditions have improved since the disaster, UMWA International secretary/treasurer Brian Sanson said there’s still work to be done. He explained that today’s miners remain at risk and are still being diagnosed with black lung disease. Some of those who have been diagnosed with the condition, he said, are in their 40s.

Black lung is a disease caused by the long-term inhalation of coal dust in underground and surface coal mines. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the disease has caused or contributed to more than 76,000 deaths since 1968.

“Today, we have miners suffering,” Knisell said. “There are still safety standards that haven’t been met.”

The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act included the Black Lung Benefits Act, which established health and safety standards to reduce miners’ exposure to coal dust and created a program to provide compensation and medical care to miners who are disabled because of the disease.

Last month, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey was in Fayette County to discuss the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2023, meant to streamline the process for miners who are applying for benefits.

“We have to make it a priority that we never forget and continue to fight for these safety protections,” Sanson said, urging unions to push the Mine Safety and Health Administration to protect coal miners.

Written by: Mark Hofman 

Associate Membership Spotlight

Evelyn Marrow

 

Evelyn Marrow, a devoted advocate and vibrant Associate Member of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), calls the idyllic state of Colorado her home. While she may not have toiled in the mines herself, Evelyn’s unwavering support for the UMWA stems from a deep connection to the union through her husband, who devoted 38 years of his life to U.S. Steel.

Sister Marrow’s journey as an Associate Member is a testament to her recognition of the profound impact that the UMWA has had on her family’s life. Her husband’s long-standing commitment to the union has left an indelible mark on their shared experiences and well-being. As an avid supporter throughout his career, Sister Marrow has witnessed firsthand the positive influence of the UMWA on the working conditions, benefits, and livelihood of her family.

Proudly wearing the badge of an Associate Member, Evelyn Marrow understands the importance of standing in solidarity with the UMWA. Her endorsement of the union’s values and the positive changes it has brought to countless lives is a reflection of her appreciation for the tireless efforts of its members.

Sister Marrow encourages every supporter of the UMWA to consider becoming an Associate Member. She passionately believes that acknowledging and supporting the union is not just a choice but a responsibility. Having personally experienced the tangible benefits of UMWA membership, she emphasizes the need for reciprocity – to support those who have, in turn, supported you.

Evelyn Marrow’s story is one of gratitude, solidarity, and advocacy. As an engaged and proud Associate Member, she stands as a living testament to the enduring impact of the United Mine Workers of America on the lives of its members and their families.

 

Congressman Perry’s Latest Attack on Coal Miners Could Prove Deadly

Source: PennLive

Black lung disease in coal miners has spiked in recent years, and we know that silica dust is to blame. Thanks to the leadership of people like Sen. Bob Casey and President Joe Biden, disabled miners with black lung will continue to receive their health benefits and current miners will soon be protected by an updated standard to limit their exposure to silica dust.

In a heartless move, U.S. Rep. Scott Perry put forward an amendment to a bill funding the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Agency that would prohibit it from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the standard.

This standard will save lives and help ensure miners aren’t stricken by this terrible and deadly disease. Every day, companies’ negligence is putting lives in danger. Instead of standing with coal miners, Perry is standing with the companies—just like his colleagues who passed the amendment by a voice vote.

We’ll never know exactly who voted for this terrible amendment, but we do know who authored it. And we know that if it becomes law, Scott Perry’s latest attack on workers could prove deadly to coal miners in our country.

Jason Walsh is the Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance, in Washington, D.C.