[TRIANGLE, VA] Responding to a provision passed by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies in its annual budget report that blocks all funding for the recent Silica Rule released by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:
“MSHA’s silica standard aims to reduce the amount of deadly silica dust in mine atmospheres, which is crucial for combating the worsening epidemic of black lung disease. It is difficult for me to understand how certain members of Congress could possibly be supportive of more miners dying a suffocating death as a result of being forced to breathe this dust.
“Subcommittee Chair Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) represents a district with a significant number of coal mines and thousands of coal miners. This would indicate that he is prioritizing industry profits over the health and safety of the very workers he was elected to represent. The miners in his district, many of whom already suffer from black lung disease, deserve better than this. I can only conclude that Aderholt is telling his constituents that their lives and health are of no concern to him.
“These actions are a direct attack on the health and safety of coal miners. The epidemic of black lung disease is a critical issue that demands immediate action. I call on all members of Congress to reject this dangerous provision and stand up for the rights and health of miners.
“The UMWA urges the public and all labor advocates to speak out against this outrage. It is imperative that we protect those who risk their lives every day to provide the energy that powers our nation. Sacrificing their health for any reason is not only morally reprehensible, but it also undermines the principles of fairness and justice that our country stands for.”
UMWA Applauds Russell County Board of Supervisors for Rejecting Moss 3 Landfill Proposal
Commenting on the recent Russell County Board of Supervisors vote against the Moss 3 Landfill proposal, the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:
“We are pleased that the Russell County Board of Supervisors listened to their constituents and voted against the proposed landfill on the site of the Moss 3 Power Plant.
“Much like during the Pittston Strike, the Russell County community has once again demonstrated that solidarity can lead to significant change.
“Many individuals contributed to this victory, and I would be remiss not to acknowledge the contributions of three of our Associate Members who played pivotal roles in this effort and kept the UMWA informed of developments.
“Sister Linda Stump, the widow of my dear friend Jackie Stump, was the first to alert me to this proposal, which threatened the historic site of the Moss 3 takeover during the 1989 Pittston Strike.
“Lastly, Sister Karen Baker has steadfastly supported her community and its residents. Her commitment and solidarity should not be overlooked.
“I am grateful that Russell County has chosen to preserve the sanctity of our history and honor the legacy of those who fought tirelessly for workers’ rights.”
CORRECTION: Amy Branson was previously mentioned as the attorney who helped with the “Say No to the Moss 3 Landfill” campaign. In fact, Sister Branson is a community advocate who did a tremendous job at documenting the events surrounding the campaign. She signed up to be a UMWA Associate Member when the UMWA got involved in their efforts to stop the Landfill Proposal, and we are thrilled to have her as a member of this great union!
Another special shout out to Attorney Brandi Hurley, who played a crucial role in fighting against the legality of the landfill proposal. Brandi dedicated countless hours to defending the residents of Russell County, ensuring their voices were heard and their rights protected. Her relentless efforts and legal expertise were instrumental in challenging the proposal and keeping the union informed of all significant developments. Her dedication and commitment to justice have made a substantial impact on the community, and we deeply appreciate her tireless work in stopping the landfill proposal.
UMWA Rescinds Endorsement of Monongalia County Commission Candidate
[MORGANTOWN, WV] – The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Monongalia Area Council of the Coal Miners Political Action Committee (COMPAC) has announced the withdrawal of its endorsement for Monongalia County Commission candidate Thomas Bloom. The decision comes in response to the candidate’s failure to support the fundamental rights of workers in the county.
“The UMWA bases its endorsement on a simple question,” said International District 31 Vice President Michael Payton. “Which side are you on? Unfortunately, this candidate’s actions have made it clear that he is not on the side of workers’ rights and fair labor practices.”
Commissioner Bloom seconded a motion to deny employees in the Monongalia County Assessor’s office the opportunity to hold a free election to determine union representation, even though a majority of workers have expressed a clear desire to organize.
“Bloom allowed language and tactics reminiscent of union-busters to be used without challenge during a Commission meeting. This decision goes against the principles that the UMWA stands for and the values it upholds,” Payton said.
A letter was sent to Bloom rescinding the UMWA Monongalia Area COMPAC Council’s endorsement.
“We mistakenly believed that you were on the side of working families and their right to freely choose to join a union,” wrote International District 31 Vice President Michael Payton and Monongalia Area COMPAC chair David Laurie. “Instead, your action to prevent county employees from exercising their constitutional rights is incompatible with the values of the UMWA and our commitment to protecting the interests of working men and women.”
Click here to read the letter sent to Commissioner Bloom.
To find out more ways to help the Monongalia County workers visit our Stop Union Busting Campaign web page here!
Casey Pushes for Black Lung Legislation in Senate Hearing on Mine Safety
Casey bill would ensure every coal miner who suffers from black lung disease receives the benefits they are entitled to
Since 1968, more than 76,000 people have died as a result of ‘black lung’ disease
In the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing, Casey highlighted the struggles of miners, families fighting for health care, benefits they need
Casey: “There are few diseases where every breath you take, you can feel it… one of the many reasons we need to pass the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act.”
Watch the full recording of the hearing here and Casey’s questions here.
Washington, D.C. – Today, a U.S. Senate hearing highlighted U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)’s Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act to help miners who have suffered from ‘black lung’ disease and their survivors access the workers compensation they are entitled to receive under the Black Lung Benefits Program. During the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety hearing, Casey, a senior member of HELP, questioned experts on the hurdles mineworkers and their families face in getting care and benefits for black lung and why it is critically important to ease this burden. Casey also spoke about his grandfather’s experience working in the coal mines of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
“Our Nation has long relied on coal miners, so many of whom have risked their lives and their long-term health to do the job of powering years of prosperity,” said Senator Casey. “My bill will ensure that every coal miner who is suffering from black lung disease receives the benefits that they and their families are entitled to. With the most serious black lung cases still on the rise, we owe it to our miners to make damn sure they get the care and benefits they’ve earned.”
Senator Casey has been a consistent fighter for miners’ benefits, pushing for protections for miners’ pensions health care, and Black Lung Benefits amid widespread coal company bankruptcies which led to him securing a permanent health care fix for retired coal miners and their families. In 2023, Casey urged the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to evaluate the adequacy of black lung benefits to ensure they meet the income and healthcare needs of disabled miners and their families.
Since 2014, Casey has led the Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act, legislation to make needed updates to the Black Lung Benefits Act to ensure Congress is fulfilling its commitment to the nation’s coal miners. To help fulfill those promises, in August of 2022, Congress approved a permanent extension of the black lung excise tax to fund the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund which provides health insurance and a living stipend for those impacted by black lung as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Casey successfully pushed the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to amend current federal standards to better protect the nation’s miners from health hazards related to exposure to respirable crystalline silica, or silica dust. The rule was finalized in April 2024. Before the announcement of the proposal, Casey sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young, seeking additional information on the delayed announcement of a new silica standard for miners across America and urging prompt promulgation.
UMWA Challenges EPA’s New Carbon Emissions Standard
[TRANGLE, VA] The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) on Monday, May 20, filed a Petition for Review for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently implemented carbon emission standards for coal-fired power plants. The petition was filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:
“The impact of this rule will be devastating not only for our members but for thousands of families throughout coalfield communities. This devastation will occur quickly if this rule stands, as there are no equivalent jobs ready or even in the pipeline to replace the jobs that will be lost. This created exactly the situation we have been working to prevent for many years.
“In 2021, the UMWA released our “Preserving Coal Country” initiative, which made our first priority for the coalfields very clear: Preserve as many coal jobs as possible. Our analysis of this new EPA rule is that it will wipe out the vast majority of them by 2032. Those are our members, and we are obligated both legally and morally to fight for them. We will always put them first.
“We further believe this rule does not meet the bar set by the Supreme Court in its 2022 decision in West Virginia vs EPA. We therefore have no choice but to file this petition, suing the EPA and stopping this rule from ever being implemented.”
UMWA Members Ratify New Contract at Crimson Oak Grove Mine in Alabama
[BIRMINGHAM, Ala.] — Members of United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Local Unions 2133 and 8982 have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement at the Oak Grove metallurgical coal mine and Concord Preparation Plant in Jefferson County, Alabama, operated by Crimson Oak Grove Resources, LLC. After extensive negotiations, this agreement was ratified with 64.4 percent support from the membership.
“I extend my sincerest congratulations to the members of UMWA Local Unions 2133 and 8982 on this ratification,” said UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts. “Special congratulations also go to International Secretary-Treasurer Brian Sanson and our dedicated bargaining team for their tireless efforts in securing this agreement,”
The new 5-year agreement includes significant wage increases, and improvements in paid time off, with no changes to health care or other benefits. “This agreement highlights what can happen when both parties decide to engage in meaningful negotiations,” Roberts said.
“These are exactly the kind of talks we have wanted to have for years with Warrior Met Coal to secure the same kind of fair and equitable agreement with its workforce,” Roberts said. “We remain ready to engage in negotiations with Warrior Met to accomplish this goal.”
UMWA and AFL-CIO Conclude Historic Proxy Contest at Warrior Met Coal, Inc. Urging Corporate Governance Reform and Respect for Freedom of Association
The United Mine Workers of America (the “UMWA”) and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (the “AFL-CIO”) concluded a historic proxy solicitation for the Warrior Met Coal, Inc. annual meeting of stockholders on April 25, 2024. The UMWA and AFL-CIO sought stockholder support for a package of good corporate governance stockholder proposals.
The proxy solicitation follows an unfair labor practice strike between April 2021 and February 2023 by Warrior Met’s unionized mineworkers. The UMWA and the AFL-CIO estimate that if Warrior Met had maintained its 2019 pre-COVID production levels between 2021 and 2023, the additional production could have been worth $1.3 billion in revenue.
“This strike, the longest in Alabama history, could have been avoided had Warrior Met negotiated in good faith to reach an agreement with the UMWA to pay competitive wages and benefits,” said UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts. “We are concerned that Warrior Met’s management has been insulated from the costs of the strike to the company, its shareholders, and its unionized employees.”
The UMWA and AFL-CIO proxy solicitation for the annual meeting urged stockholders to adopt five proposals: Recommending that the Board of Directors adopt a “poison pill” bylaw provision; a “proxy access” bylaw provision; a “blank check” preferred stock amendment; a “golden parachute” severance agreement policy; and a third-party assessment of Warrior Met’s respect for workers’ rights.
Based on the certified vote totals provided by the Inspector of Election, a substantial percentage of voting stockholders (46%) supported the UMWA and AFL-CIO’s stockholder proposal on freedom of association and collective bargaining. This stockholder support for such a proposal is second only to a majority vote at the Starbucks Corporation in 2023.
Proxy advisors Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis both recommended a vote for this stockholder proposal. In June 2023, a National Labor Relations Board administrative law judge determined that Warrior Met had engaged in unfair labor practices by withholding requested information for contract negotiations.
“This is a win in our eyes. This means a near majority of the shareholders believe that Warrior Met should conduct a review of its human rights and collective bargaining practices,” said Roberts. “An NLRB administrative law judge has already determined that Warrior Met has engaged in unfair labor practices, so clearly the company has work to do in this area.”
The proxy access stockholder proposal was adopted by nearly all voting stockholders (99%) after Warrior Met’s Board of Directors recommended in favor of the proposal. A majority of voting stockholders (51%) also supported a stockholder proposal recommending stockholder approval of poison pills, a management entrenchment device that can insulate corporate executives from the risk of a hostile takeover.
A significant percentage of stockholders (22%) also voted in favor of requiring stockholder approval of the use of preferred stock for defensive purposes. The stockholder proposal requesting a vote on senior executive’s golden parachutes received 4% support after the Board of Directors responded to the proposal prior to the Annual Meeting by adopting new limits on Warrior Met’s senior executive severance benefits.
The UMWA’s and AFL-CIO’s proxy solicitation was hailed by outside observers for its innovative approach to holding Warrior Met’s management accountable. Global Proxy Watch called the proxy solicitation an “innovative tactic,” Activist Investor described the proxy solicitation as “a clever way to pursue shareholder proposals,” and the Corporate Counsel termed it a “shrewd use” of the SEC’s proxy rules.
“We will be watching how Warrior Met’s Board of Directors responds to these historic votes,” said Roberts. “In the UMWA, our motto is one day longer, one day stronger. Going forward, we will keep all our options on the table for holding the Board of Directors accountable.”
Warrior Met Coal is expected to release final vote results within four business days in a Form-8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
UMWA’s Roberts comments on EPA’s new Carbon Pollution Standards
[TRANGLE, V.A.] Commenting on the release of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new carbon emission standards for coal-fired power plants, the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:
“We are analyzing the potential impact of this rule on our membership and will have more to say after that analysis is completed. At first glance, however, this rule looks to set the funeral date for thermal coal mining in America for 2032 – just seven and a half years away – along with the hundreds of thousands of jobs that are directly and indirectly associated with it.
“EPA says that coal-fired power plants can continue to operate until 2039 if they co-fire with 40 percent natural gas. I do not think any will do so, due to technical and legal constraints, including the cost and availability of natural gas.
“I also have deep concerns regarding the technical feasibility of implementing fully commercial Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology by the deadline of 2032, especially given the exceedingly slow pace of the administration’s implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s funding for the construction of coal-fired CCS demonstration plants. CCS technology is simply not for prime time.
“As an organization dedicated to safeguarding the livelihoods of our members, our aim has always been and will always be ensuring that they have jobs and financial security. We recognize the importance of reducing carbon emissions. However, it is crucial to ensure that any proposed solutions are both practical and achievable within the given timeframe.
“During this entire process, we have long said that any effort to eliminate coal jobs must be matched with similar efforts to create jobs in the same communities. That is simply not happening. Despite many promises, the pace of bringing new high-quality manufacturing and production jobs to the coalfields has been glacial. I am not aware of a single dislocated coal miner who has been hired as a result of legislation or other initiatives put in place over the last several years.
“Rushing the closure of coal-fired power plants will jeopardize the reliability of the nation’s power grid and threaten our members’ livelihoods. This frankly does not fulfill the administration’s promises to coalfield communities. We will continue to seek ways to keep our members, their families, and their communities whole.”
United Mine Workers of America Hosts Department of Labor Silica Rule Kickoff Event
[TRIANGLE, VA] – The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) hosted a Department of Labor Silica Rule Kickoff Event to celebrate the finalization of the new Silica Dust Exposure Rule. The event aimed to raise awareness about the importance of the rule in protecting the health and safety of miners across the nation.
Speaking at the event were UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, Assistant Secretary of the Mine Health and Safety Administration Chris Williamson, NIOSH Director of Respiratory Health Division David Weissman, President of the Black Lung Association Gary Harrison, as well as members of the United Mine Workers of America and United Steelworkers.
The new silica rule significantly reduces respirable crystalline silica exposures and improves the early detection of related diseases. It also includes updates to the respiratory protection standard, ensuring that miners are adequately protected from the harmful effects of silica dust.
“The UMWA has been advocating for this rule for many years, so we are glad that the Agency has created a rule to address the rise in silica-related lung diseases in our nation’s miners (both coal and metal non-metal),” said Roberts. “Young miners in their 30s and 40s are getting lung diseases that are being exacerbated by silica dust. What was thought to be a disease of the past is coming back with a vengeance because miners are cutting more rock than ever before.
“This is a critical step to keeping miners safe and healthy not just day to day, but for their full lifetime,” Roberts said. “Now, our focus shifts to holding mining companies accountable. Together with our labor partners, UMWA remains steadfast in our efforts to ensure strict adherence to the new legislation within the industry.”
News of the potential closure came as a surprise to numerous stakeholders including county officials and the union representing roughly 550 miners
Cumberland Mine has been a major employer in Greene County since the 1970s and currently employs more than 700 skilled workers
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) sent a letter to Iron Senergy Owner and CEO Justin F. Thompson regarding recent reports of the company’s intention to abruptly close and seal the Cumberland Mine in Greene County, Pennsylvania. Greene County officials, the United Mine Workers of America, which represents roughly 550 Cumberland miners, and numerous other stakeholders were blindsided by reports that Iron Senergy notified the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) of its intent to shutter the highly productive facility without notifying miners or relevant stakeholders. Though Iron Senergy later backtracked in a statement, the company has yet to fully engage with local stakeholders, or explain why it did not communicate with its miners as news of the closure was being reported. Casey also pushed for answers on why Iron Senergy submitted a request for approval to close Cumberland Mine to MSHA and whether it will withdraw its closure plan and recommit to the Greene County community.
“Cumberland Mine is a cornerstone of the economy in Greene County and the surrounding area. Pennsylvania miners in this region have powered our country for generations. These miners deserve transparency about their economic future, and I hope Iron Senergy will join me in doing all we can to give them that certainty,” Senator Casey wrote.
The full text of the letter is below and the signed PDF can be found HERE.
