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Patriot Retirees’ Health Care Benefits to End Dec. 31 Without Congressional Action

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OCTOBER 07, 2016

[TRIANGLE, VA.] The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) today released a letter that was sent by the Patriot Voluntary Employee Beneficial Association (Patriot VEBA) to some 12,500 of its beneficiaries informing them that the Patriot VEBA will run out of money to pay health care benefits on Dec. 31, 2016 (see letter below).

“These workers put their lives and their health on the line every day for 25, 35, even 45 years, providing the fuel that energized our nation and made it the most powerful country on Earth,” UMWA International President Cecil Roberts said. “They earned every penny of these benefits and now, through no fault of their own, they are on the brink of losing them.”

“America made them a promise 70 years ago: ‘You mine the coal that makes our country strong, and we will see to it that you have retirement benefits in your old age,’” Roberts said. “That promise has been kept by Congresses and administrations led by Republicans and Democrats from that day to this one. This Congress and this administration have a responsibility to do so once again.

“This is a life or death matter for thousands in the coalfields,” Roberts said. “They are counting on our government to fulfill its moral obligation and pass legislation this year that will save their lives.”

The legislation, S. 1714 in the Senate and H.R. 2403 in the House, would preserve these retirees’ health care and pension benefits using an existing appropriation already set aside for coal miners’ retirement benefits. The Senate Finance Committee last month approved S. 1714 by a bi-partisan 18-8 vote.

S. 1714 was introduced by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va) and has 22 co-sponsors in the Senate, evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. H.R. 2403 was introduced by Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) and has 87 co-sponsors, 47 Republicans and 40 Democrats.

The affected retirees are those who worked at mines operated by Patriot Coal, Peabody Energy or Arch Coal and were represented by the UMWA. Patriot was created by a spin-off of Peabody’s unionized mines in 2007, and in 2008 it acquired mines that had been operated by Arch Coal.

Patriot entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2012, emerging on January 1, 2014. As part of the bankruptcy Judges’s order,, Patriot was relieved of its obligation to pay retiree health care benefits. However, the UMWA negotiated payments from Patriot and Peabody to fund the VEBA for several years. Arch later agreed to contribute funding for the VEBA as well.

Patriot was split up into separate companies as a result of a second bankruptcy in 2015, and Peabody and Arch filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016.

“There is a ready solution to this critical problem,” Roberts said. “It is a simple solution, it is paid for and it is bi-partisan. When Congress returns to Washington in November, one of its first acts must be to pass this legislation and give these senior citizens the peace of mind that the benefits they paid for in sweat, toil and blood will be there when they need them.”

 

Patriot VEBA Termination Letter

Senate Finance Committee approves Miners Protection Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:

“I am very pleased that the Senate Finance Committee voted today to approve the Miners Protection Act, Senate Bill 1714. It has been a long fight to gain a congressional committee’s approval of this critical legislation.

“The fact that we have achieved this goal is due to the very hard work of the sponsors of this legislation, Senator Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), along with our stalwart supporters on the Finance Committee, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Oh.), Senator Rob Portman (R-Oh.), Senator Ron Wyden (D-Or.), Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa).

“I also want to thank the Chairman of the Finance Committee, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Ut.), for his support and leadership on this issue.

“Now that this important first step has been achieved, it is vital that Congress move as quickly as possible to finally pass this legislation that will mean so much to the lives of thousands of senior citizens across America. There is no more time to waste.”

Labor Groups to Host West Virginia Gubernatorial Debate between Major Party Candidates

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUGUST 29, 2016

Working Families’ Issues to be Focus of Event

[CHARLESTON, WV.] The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and the West Virginia State Building and Construction Trades Council announced today that they have invited gubernatorial candidates Jim Justice and Bill Cole to participate in a debate in Charleston at the end of September.

 

Both candidates have already agreed to take part in two other debates hosted by the media. This third debate would focus solely on issues affecting workers in West Virginia. The two host unions represent coal miners and workers in the building trades industries and it will be those members who will make up the audience.

 

“As the General Election approaches, the working families of West Virginia would like to hear more from the gubernatorial candidates about their vision for the future and how their plans would affect our state’s working families,” said Joe Carter, UMWA International District 17 Vice President.

 

“Our membership is made up of Democrats, Republicans and Independents,” said ACT Director Steve White with the WV State Building and Construction Trades Council. “We’re pleased to offer this third debate so our members can hear first-hand where the candidates stand on issues like workplace safety and job creation.

 

The debate will be held at the Sheraton Four Points on either September 27 or 29. Candidates have been offered both dates for consideration. Additionally, a moderator has yet to be selected but the goal of both groups is to have an impartial professional facilitator or journalist.

UMWA files complaint about Fayette Co., Pa. Prison conditions with U.S. Dept. of Justice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUGUST 18, 2016

[TRIANGLE, VA.] The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International Union on Tuesday filed a complaint with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division on behalf of inmates and employees at the Fayette County, Pa. Prison, pointing out unsanitary conditions, routine maintenance deficiencies that put corrections officers and inmates in severe danger, compromised structural integrity of the facility and more.

 

“This facility is dangerous to the people who are incarcerated there, the people who work there and the entire community,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said. “I served in combat in Vietnam, and I worked miles underground in a coal mine. I have rarely been in a place that made me more concerned about my personal safety and the safety of those around me than when I toured the Fayette County prison last year.

 

“The fact that this prison is still in use is a gross disservice to the people of Fayette County and a scar on the reputation of the Fayette County Commission,” Roberts said. “We have been pleading with the Commission for years to take action to correct this problem, yet nothing has been done. They won’t even respond to our correspondence.

 

“They will have to respond to the Department of Justice now,” Roberts said. “This is serious business, and the Fayette County Commission has frankly refused to do its job on behalf of the people they represent. They have refused to address the very real safety concerns of the corrections officers who are charged with maintaining order in the prison.

 

“And I’m not a person who believes in coddling prisoners, but the conditions in that facility violate the Eighth Amendment of the constitution prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment,” Roberts said.

 

The UMWA represents the corrections officers at the facility. The union’s complaint focuses on issues of inadequate sanitation; crumbling, unrepaired and unsafe infrastructure, inadequate fire safety infrastructure and overcrowding. The UMWA is asking the DOJ to undertake its own investigation of the facility to determine whether or not conditions in the prison violate the Eighth and Fourteenth amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

 

The Union is also asking the DOJ to require the Fayette County Commission to “either adopt policies and take action to remedy the deficiencies at the jail and any further constitutional violations uncovered by DOJ’s investigation or to begin the process of planning for and constructing a facility to replace the jail.”

UMWA members ratify new agreement at Murray Energy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUGUST 12, 2016

[TRIANGLE, VA.] Members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) today voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement at six Murray Energy mines in northern West Virginia and Ohio as well as support facilities and idled operations, with 60.3 percent voting in favor of the contract.

“This was a tough vote for our members to take,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said. “The coal industry is in a depression and more than 50 companies have filed for bankruptcy in the last few years. Thousands have been laid off. The pressures on those who are still working are tremendous and growing.

“But despite all that, our members took a courageous stand by voting to try to keep their company operating while maintaining the best wages, benefits and working conditions in the American coal industry,” Roberts said.

The new five-year agreement maintains wages at current levels and includes a wage reopener after three years. Health care benefits for active and retired workers and their dependents remain intact, with slight increases in out-of-pocket costs but no monthly premiums. Total annual days off from work are initially reduced, but many of those days are regained over the life of the agreement. Importantly, Murray Energy agreed to remain in the UMWA 1974 Pension Plan.

“In addition to the courage shown by our membership, I want to express my thanks to all those Local Union, District and International leaders who worked so hard on achieving this agreement,” Roberts said. “They did outstanding work.”

 

UMWA to hold contract explanation meetings next week, ratification vote to be Aug. 12

[TRIANGLE, VA.] UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts will lead contract explanation meetings next week at several locations in West Virginia and Ohio to explain a new tentative agreement with the Bituminous Coal Operators Association (BCOA) to the UMWA membership and their spouses.

The schedule and locations of the meetings is as follows:

Tuesday, Aug. 9: Wesbanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va. at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for members of UMWA Local Unions 1110, 1473, 1604, 1638, 1857 and 1886.

Wednesday, Aug. 10: Waterfront Place Hotel in Morgantown, W.Va. at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for members of Local Unions 1197, 1248, 1412, 1501, 1545, 1643, 1702, 1980, 6025 and 9909.

Thursday, Aug. 11: Centerville Senior Center in Centerville, Ohio at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for members of Local Unions 1810 and 5497.

The meetings are only for active and retired dues-paying members of the UMWA and their spouses. Details of the proposed agreement will be released after the ratification vote on Aug. 12.

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UMWA members ratify new contracts with Contura, Alpha Natural Resources

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JULY 14, 2016

[TRIANGLE, VA.] Members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) ratified new collective bargaining agreements with Contura Energy, the company that is emerging from the Alpha Natural Resources Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings with operations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Virginia; and with Alpha itself at several operations in West Virginia and Kentucky.

The new 4 ½ year collective bargaining agreement with Contura Energy was approved by 89% of those voting at the Cumberland and Emerald operations in Greene County, Pa., the Power Mountain preparation plant in Nicholas County, W.Va., and the McClure preparation plant in Dickinson County, Va.

The new agreement with Alpha Natural Resources covers workers at five preparation plants in southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky and was approved by 98% of those voting. Only two of those operations, the Bandmill plant and the Litwar plant, are currently operating.

“As always happens in bankruptcy situations, Contura Energy and Alpha had orders from the bankruptcy Judge that eliminated the previous contract and stripped away any obligations for these companies to continue paying for pensions and retiree health care,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said. “We were essentially starting from zero in negotiating these agreements. Because of the solidarity our members at these operations, we were able to preserve virtually every article of the previous agreement other than defined benefit pensions and retiree health care.”

As per the bankruptcy Judge’s order, neither Contura Energy nor Alpha will pay into the UMWA 1974 Pension Plan going forward. In lieu of the companies paying for and administering retiree health care, lump-sum payments totaling $28.5 million will be paid to a Voluntary Employee Benefit Association (VEBA) that the UMWA will manage until that funding runs out.

“The loss of pension payments and company-paid retiree health care only adds to the critical need to pass pending legislation in Congress to ensure the retirees who mined the coal to energize our nation will get the retirement security America promised to them,” Roberts said. “The funding in the VEBA will not last long. Time is quickly running out for these and thousands of other retirees who depend on these benefits.”

UMWA donates $20,000 to West Virginia flood relief

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JULY 1, 2016

[TRIANGLE, VA.] The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) announced today that it is donating $20,000 to help the victims of last week’s devastating floods in West Virginia.

The union is sending $15,000 to the American Red Cross West Virginia Region for direct assistance to families, and another $5,000 is going to the Southern Appalachian Labor School (SALS) to help offset the cost of a generator that is being used to supply power to hard-hit rural areas of the state.

“These devastating floods have caused terrible hardship and pain for tens of thousands of West Virginians, including many of our members and retirees,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said. “We want to do whatever we can to help provide some measure of comfort to them as they work to rebuild their lives.”

“The UMWA extends its heartfelt prayers to the victims of this tragic flood, especially to the families of those who lost their lives,” Roberts said. “We stand ready to assist in any way we can.”

The UMWA has some 25,000 active and retired members in West Virginia.

UMWA applauds pending Senate action to move Miners Protection Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JUNE 30, 2016

[TRIANGLE, VA.] United Mine Workers of America International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today:

“I am very encouraged by the bi-partisan agreement yesterday by Senate leadership and members to hold a mark-up vote in the Senate Finance Committee on the Miners Protection Act. We have been asking for this action to be taken for months, because time is growing very short if the health care benefits for tens of thousands of retirees are to be saved.

“I want to commend Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) for his strong commitment to this issue and his tireless work in the Senate to move this legislation forward. I also want to thank Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Oh.) for taking this issue on and standing strong with us. In addition, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Oh.) and Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) publicly stood with us on the floor of the Senate and took a courageous vote on our behalf.

“Senate leadership of both parties – Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Minority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Tex.) came together and agreed to move this critical legislation forward yesterday. I thank them as well and appreciate this action very much.

“Now that there is an agreement to move forward in the Senate Finance Committee, I call on the committee to take up this bill and hold the mark-up without delay. I see no reason why the committee can’t take action within the next two weeks, before Congress leaves town for the summer.

“These retirees need to have some sense of comfort that their Congress is working for them instead of continuing to wonder if they will have the health care and pensions they were promised. Congress needs to hold the vote and pass this bill.”

UMWA membership rejects proposed agreement with the BCOA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JUNE 28, 2016

[TRIANGLE, VA.] United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement today regarding the vote by the UMWA membership to not ratify a proposed collective bargaining agreement with the Bituminous Coal Operators Association:

“This is a democratic union. The membership has had their say and I respect their decision,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said. “This is a very hard time for everyone in the coal industry, especially those who actually mine the coal. Thousands are laid off and those who remain at work confront ever-more difficult working conditions. Today’s vote reflects those difficulties and I understand that.”