Archives: Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 2025

United Mine Workers of America Announces Leadership Transition

TRIANGLE, VA – The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) today announced a historic leadership transition. After 48 years of dedicated service as an elected official, UMWA President Cecil E. Roberts has officially retired.

President Roberts, who has led the union since 1995, appointed Brian Sanson as the 16th President of the UMWA. Sanson was sworn into office today, marking a new chapter in the union’s 135-year history.

Upon assuming his new role, President Sanson appointed his executive assistant, Michael Phillippi, as Secretary-Treasurer of the UMWA.

“Brother Roberts has devoted his life to the fight for justice, safety, and dignity for working families,” said Sanson. “It is an honor to continue his legacy and to lead this great union into the future,” said President Sanson

Roberts’ retirement concludes nearly five decades of leadership, during which he served in multiple elected roles and helped guide the UMWA through numerous pivotal battles on behalf of working families.

The UMWA extends its deepest gratitude to President Roberts for his unwavering commitment and leadership, and looks forward to the continued strength and unity of the membership under President Sanson’s direction.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OCTOBER 1, 2025

CONTACT: Craig Romanovich, 412-708-4818,  local433craig@gmail.com

Government Shutdown is a Financial Attack on Veteran Federal Workers and Active-Duty Military

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Union Veterans Council (UVC) issued a sharp condemnation today, warning that the government shutdown is an immediate betrayal of active-duty service members and a severe harm to the hundreds of thousands of veterans working as federal civilians.

“A government shutdown is a manufactured crisis that deliberately targets the financial stability of those who have dedicated their lives to public service,” the UVC stated. “When Congress fails to fund the government, it forces veteran federal employees to either be furloughed without pay or, just as cruelly, forced to work without pay because they are deemed ‘essential.’ This is not inconvenience; it’s economic hardship imposed on our heroes.”

Direct Impact on the Military and Veteran Workforce

The UVC highlights the immediate consequences of a funding lapse:

• Active-Duty Paychecks Stop: Active-duty service members are required to continue their duties but will see their paychecks halted. This forces military families, many with minimal savings, to navigate an immediate financial crisis, eroding morale and readiness.
• Veteran Civilian Furloughs: A shutdown sends thousands of these employees home without income or forces them to work for free, creating immense stress over mortgages, bills, and family needs.
• Disruption of Transition Services: Critical federal programs that help veterans transition to civilian life, including job counseling and career readiness assistance, would cease, blocking veterans seeking stable employment.

“We ask our service members and veterans to defend this country, and in return, we owe them financial certainty,” the UVC added. “We demand that Congress immediately pass a clean spending bill to protect the pay of our active-duty forces and end the threat of economic distress facing every veteran federal worker. Political games should never come at the expense of those who served.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 15, 2025

 

Another Silica Rule Delay is a Death Sentence for Miners

[TRIANGLE, VA] The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) today condemned the U.S. Court of Appeals’ decision to push back implementation of the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) long-overdue Silica Rule until October. The delay stems from a lawsuit filed by the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (NSSGA), an industry not even affected by the rule until 2027, while coal miners remain exposed to deadly silica dust.

“This delay is simply a death sentence for more miners,” said UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts. “The fact that an industry association with no stake in coal mining can hold up lifesaving protections for coal miners is outrageous. The Department of Labor and MSHA should be fighting to implement this rule immediately, not kicking enforcement down the road yet again. Every day they delay, more miners get sick, and more miners die. That’s the truth.”

The Silica Rule was designed to lower the allowable level of respirable crystalline silica in mines, a toxic dust proven to cause black lung and other deadly lung diseases. Instead of fighting to put these protections in place immediately, the Department of Labor is allowing them to be delayed for the second time this year.

“This is bureaucratic cowardice, plain and simple,” said UMWA International Secretary-Treasurer Brian Sanson. “We’ve buried too many friends, too many fathers, and too many sons because of black lung. Bowing to corporate interests doesn’t solve the problem; it puts more miners at risk. The science is clear, the rule is needed, and the delay is shameful.”

“Every American worker deserves to come home from work with their lungs intact, miners included,” Roberts said. “It’s as simple as that.”

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JULY 23, 2025

 

UMWA Supports Nomination of Lanny Erdos for OSMRE Director

[TRIANGLE, VA] The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) sent a letter to the leadership of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee urging the confirmation of Lanny Erdos as Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE). The UMWA cited Erdos’s experience, past leadership at OSMRE, and strong working relationship with labor as key reasons for its support.

“Mr. Erdos understands the real-world impacts of policy on working miners and their communities,” said UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts. “He also understands the importance of cleaning up America’s abandoned mine lands and we look forward to participating in that effort.”

Click here to view a copy of the letter.

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