Sanson appointed UMWA International Secretary-Treasurer
[TRIANGLE, VA.] The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) announced today that Brian Sanson has been appointed by President Cecil E. Roberts as the union’s International Secretary-Treasurer, filling the unexpired term of Levi Allen, who resigned earlier this month.
Sanson, 47, has been a member of UMWA Local Union 1582 for 25 years. He has served as the UMWA’s Director of Research since 2008, and has been a key negotiator for dozens of contracts over the last decade covering the union’s members working in the coal and other industries. Sanson also serves as a Trustee for the UMWA Patriot VEBA, a fund established in the wake of the Patriot Coal bankruptcy in 2012, that has provided health care to thousands of UMWA retirees and dependents.
“Brian is smart, he is creative, and he is an extremely talented negotiator,” Roberts said. “There is no one who knows more about the economics and structure of the coal industry, and the other industries where our members work.
“Most of all, he is dedicated to our members and their families,” Roberts said. “He will be a great partner for me, the International Executive Board and the entire union as we embark on the very difficult path we have before us to preserve our members’ jobs and uplift their families and communities.”
UMWA announces resignation of Levi Allen as Secretary-Treasurer
[TRIANGLE, VA.] United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) announced today that Levi Allen, the union’s Secretary-Treasurer since June, 2017, has resigned.
“The Secretary-Treasurer’s position requires full-time, undivided, moment-to-moment devotion,” Allen said.
“My family and my personal life require more of my time at this point; I am simply unable to give the job what it is due. I thank President Roberts for the opportunity to serve the union in that capacity for the last four years.”
“Levi has been a good steward of the UMWA’s finances,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said.
“That is the first priority for any Secretary-Treasurer of the union. He has also been a strong voice on behalf of the safety and health of our members.
“I thank him for his service in that position, and he will continue to serve the membership of the union in another capacity moving forward.”
UMWA Applauds Bi-Partisan Legislation Establishing Juneteenth as a Federal Holiday
[TRIANGLE, VA.] As the nation celebrates the first official Juneteenth National Independence Day, United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:
“I was very pleased to see Congress come together to recognize the importance of Juneteenth. This holiday commemorates the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas and informed the last enslaved Black Americans that the Civil War had ended and they were free.
“But it means so much more than that. Juneteenth celebrates freedom and reminds Americans of the significance of celebrating our history, of where we have been and where we need to continue to grow. Let us not only take today but every day to remember how far we still need to go in order for our nation and those who live in it to truly recognize and respect each other as equals.”
UMWA President Roberts Thanks Supporters for Donating to the Warrior Met Strike Fund
[TRIANGLE, VA] The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and UMWA District 20 are humbled by the level of support received from not only Local Unions within the UMWA but other international, national and local unions throughout the labor movement, as well as individuals who have contributed to the UMWA 2021 Strike Aid Fund.
“I especially would like to thank the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) for their donation of $100,000,” said UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts.
“The miners on strike at Warrior Met Coal have been faced with tremendous challenges from an employer that does not care about them, their families or their communities for the last five years. That is why they voted overwhelmingly to go on strike and demand a fair and just contract.
“And while the UMWA is one of the few unions that provides weekly strike benefits to members who participate in strike activities, these benefits cannot fully replace lost income and every little bit counts, Roberts said.”
Roberts also thanked the International Brotherhood of Teamsters for donating $50,000 to Strike Aid Fund, the AFL-CIO for their donation of $25,000 and the United Steelworkers, the Seafarers International Union, the National Association of Letter Carriers, the International Boilermakers Union and Association of Flight Attendants-CWA for their donations of $10,000 each.
These donations will help to ensure the strikers and their families have the ability to last “ONE DAY LONGER” and ultimately win a fair and equitable contract.
[BROOKWOOD, ALA.] Three separate incidents of vehicular assault by persons working for Warrior Met Coal, Inc. have occurred on legal picket lines set up by members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) in the last three days, raising questions as to whether the company has determined that violence and the threat of bodily harm are its best responses to the ongoing strike by UMWA miners at the company (Videos of 2 incidents available here).
“Warrior Met personnel, either management or nonunion workers, have repeatedly struck our members who were engaging in legal picket line activities, with their vehicles,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said today. “We have members in casts, we have members in the hospital, we have members who are concerned about their families and potential of violence against them if they come to the picket line.
“We have been to court on multiple occasions regarding what we can and cannot do on the picket lines and our members respect the guidance of the court,” Roberts said. “Warrior Met seems to believe that it is all right to strike people with cars as they engage in legal, protected activity. This is a dangerous course of action that can swiftly lead to events spiraling out of control. That is the last thing anyone should want.
“I call on Warrior Met to back away from violence and finally come to the bargaining table in good faith, ready to hammer out a fair and reasonable agreement,” Roberts said. “But if Warrior Met decides to continue inspiring violence on the picket lines, their leadership should understand that UMWA members have been subjected to company violence for 131 years and will not be deterred from seeking a fair contract for them and their families. We are still here and we will remain here long after those leaders have gone.”
[TRIANGLE, VA.] The United Mine Workers of America today reiterated its support for Senate Bill (SB) 1, the “For the People Act,” and renewed its call for its passage in the United States Senate.
“State Legislatures all over the country are revising election laws to restrict access to voting, especially among minorities, workers and senior citizens,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said. “Instead of opening up the voting process and including more citizens, those states are taking us back to the days when millions were essentially disenfranchised because of who they were and where they lived. SB 1 will prevent that from happening.
“Further, the states that are passing these laws are making it possible for state legislatures to overturn election results they do not like, even if local elections boards have certified them,” Roberts said. “These states are putting a highly partisan stamp on this issue and showing no interest in bipartisanship.”
Roberts noted that while the union also supports the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, passage of that legislation by itself will not address many of the ballot access issues that are becoming law in an increasing number of states.
“It is wrong for these states to attack the basic rights of citizens to participate in our democracy,” Roberts said. “Congress should be doing everything possible to not just maintain, but expand voting access and create freer and fairer elections. If only one party is interested in doing that, then so be it.”
[TRIANGLE, VA] United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:
“I commend Energy Secretary Granholm for coming to West Virginia and going underground at the Harrison County Mine with Senator Joe Manchin to see for herself the hard, dangerous work our members do to energize our nation. Our union has been asking for more than a decade for someone with authority in Washington to tour a mine and meet these workers face to face. I am so glad that she stepped up and did that, and I thank Senator Manchin for facilitating it.
“Coal miners want to know that their jobs, their families and their communities are being considered as decisions are being made about the future of their industry. They want the decision-makers to know that they have done everything asked of them, they have built and maintained their communities, and they deserve more than a pat on the back and political mumbo-jumbo about some sort of ‘just transition.’
“There never has been a just transition in this country. Never. It’s not reasonable to expect that there will be one now. That’s why the UMWA issued our Energy Transition Initiative, to create a true transition focusing on three main goals; preserving UMWA jobs, creating new coalfield jobs and preserving UMWA families and their communities. Secretary Granholm has heard our voices, and that is a good start.
“We will continue to work with the Department of Energy and others in the Administration on this critical issue, and fight for our Principles as Congress considers legislation that will accelerate the transformation of the nation’s energy marketplace. UMWA members have fulfilled a critical role in our nation’s history, and the union is doing everything we can to ensure that they continue to do just that for many decades to come.”
[MCCALLA, ALA.] The International Executive Board of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International union held a special meeting today to discuss the strike at Warrior Met, Inc., by around 1,000 members of the UMWA in Alabama.
“The Warrior Met miners have overwhelmingly voted to continue this strike,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said. “The union is mobilizing its entire resources to support them.”
The UMWA Board reiterated its support for the strike, including unanimously supporting President Roberts’ decision to call the strike on April 1, the vote of the membership to continue the strike on April 9, and the efforts of the Union’s negotiating committee led by International Secretary-Treasurer Levi Allen.
Roberts announced the union will begin holding “Unity Rallies” in the Brookwood, Ala., area for members, families and community supporters to build solidarity and hear from local and national allies.
The union is also contributing $50,000 to establishing a relief fund for workers and families. Details for those wishing to contribute to that fund will be available later this week on the UMWA’s website, www.umwa.org.
Later this week, the union will pay roughly $600,000 in the first wave of bi-weekly strike benefits to dues-paying members who have participated in strike activity.
The union has also purchased health care insurance for striking members and families.
[TRIANGLE, VA.] The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) announced today that its members working at Warrior Met in Bessemer, AL did not ratify a tentative agreement that had been negotiated with the company and will remain on their unfair labor practice strike.
“Our members made it clear that the tentative agreement was not sufficient enough to make up for the sacrifices made in 2016,” said International President Cecil E. Roberts.
“So, the UMWA will continue to strike at Warrior Met until an agreement can be reached that provides these miners what they deserve.
“This is a democratic union. The membership has the final say in what their collective bargaining agreements look like,” Roberts said.
“The decision was theirs to make and they have the full support of UMWA District 20 and the International union. We will continue negotiations with the company.”
[TRIANGLE, VA.] The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) announced today that a tentative collective bargaining agreement has been reached between the UMWA and Warrior Met Coal, Inc.
The union is not releasing details of the agreement until its members have heard them and held a ratification vote. Miners at Warrior Met have been striking since 10:00 p.m. on April 1.
“I am so very proud of our members at Warrior Met for standing up for themselves, their families and their communities,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said.
“Going on strike is a difficult thing to do, but they have shown tremendous unity on the picket lines. Their story is being told across the world right now, and it is one of strength, determination and solidarity.
“The decision to begin this strike rested with me. The decision to end the strike now rests with the membership of the union at Warrior Met,” Roberts said.
“If they ratify this tentative agreement, the strike will end and they will have a new contract. If they do not ratify it, the strike will continue and we will seek further negotiations with the company.”
Contract explanation meetings will be held on Wednesday, April 7. As per the UMWA Constitution, the ratification vote will be held 48 hours after the explanation meetings at each Local Union among dues-paying members in good standing.
The vote will be on Friday, April 9. The results of the vote will be announced as soon as it is certified by the UMWA’s Auditor/Tellers.
