Hundreds rally for striking coal miners in Alabama
Hundreds of union members from multiple states rallied Wednesday for Alabama miners who have been on strike against Warrior Met Coal Inc. since early April seeking contract improvements. With many in the crowd holding signs decrying unfair labor practices and wearing camouflage T-shirts emblazoned with the words “We are one,” allies presented checks to aid the roughly 1,100 striking workers. The United Mine Workers of America said busloads of members from states including Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia planned to attend. Country and gospel singers entertained between speakers, and many in the crowd ate popsicles and sat under umbrellas or canopies. The rally was held at a park in rural Brookwood near the offices of Warrior Met, which produces coal used in steel production in Asia, Europe, and South America. “We have begun the fifth month the miners at Warrior Met Coal have been striking for a fair and decent contract,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said in a statement before the rally. “We are not backing down. We are only getting stronger. The entire American Labor Movement is standing with us in this fight.” The strike includes the company’s No. 4 and No. 7 mines, a preparation plant, and a central shop, all located in Tuscaloosa County. Labor and the company quickly reached an agreement to end the walkout a few days after it began on April 1, but members rejected the deal. The union has said workers sacrificed to bring the company out of the Walter Energy bankruptcy five years ago, and members have advocated for better health benefits. Warrior Met has said it offered workers a competitive package that would protect jobs and the health of the company. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Union members arrested during Alabama coal strike protest
Nearly a dozen miners who’ve been striking an Alabama coal company for about two months were arrested during a protest outside a mine in Tuscaloosa County, a union said. The United Mine Workers of America said 11 members were charged with trespassing at a Warrior Met Coal Inc. mine in Tuscaloosa County on Tuesday evening. They were released on bond early Wednesday, the same day the union planned a rally at a state park west of Birmingham. Video from WVTM-TV showed members in plastic handcuffs being loaded onto a sheriff’s office bus after a march to a Warrior Met No. 7 mine entrance. A walkout by 1,100 workers at the company began on April 1 after contract talks failed. Members said they made sacrifices to save the company a few years ago and want better pay and health benefits. “We put our lives on the line every day,” said miner Mike Wright. The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the arrest and continuing strike but previously has defended its contract offer. Miners rejected the company’s initial offer less than two weeks after the strike began, and Mine Workers International President Cecil Roberts said the company has refused to engage in “meaningful negotiations.” Warrior Met produces coal used in steel production in Asia, Europe, and South America. Earlier this year it reported a loss of about $35 million for last year compared to a net income of $302 million for 2019. The publicly-traded company did not release financial guidance for this year citing uncertainty created by the global coronavirus pandemic. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Miners continue strike in Alabama after contract rejected
A strike is continuing at two Alabama coal mines after union members rejected a contract proposal. The United Mine Workers of America says the local that represents more than 1,100 workers at Warrior Met Coal Inc. in Tuscaloosa County rejected a tentative deal in balloting on Friday. International President Cecil Roberts says members have the final say in collective bargaining agreements, so the walkout continues. The strike affects two Warrior Met coal mines and related facilities. Negotiations between union representatives and the company had produced a tentative agreement that was announced a week ago. Warrior Met says it offered employees a package that was both competitive and meant to protect jobs at the mines, which produce coal used in steel production overseas. The company reported a loss of about $35 million for last year during the coronavirus pandemic compared to net income of $302 million for 2019. The union says members have already made sacrifices that helped save Warrior Met five years ago. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Union, coal company reach tentative deal to end strike
An Alabama coal company has reached a tentative deal with labor to end a strike that idled more than 1,100 workers in Tuscaloosa County, the United Mine Workers of America said. The union announced the agreement late Monday with Warrior Met Coal Inc., where members have been on strike at two mines and adjoining facilities since Thursday. The company hasn’t comment publicly, and details of the tentative deal have not been released. But the union said meetings will be held Wednesday to explain the agreement to members, and a ratification vote will be held Friday. “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,” union president Cecil Roberts said in a statement. “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.” Warrior Met produces coal used in steel production in Asia, Europe and South America but reported a loss of about $35 million for last year compared to net income of $302 million for 2019. The company didn’t release financial guidance for 2021 citing uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic. A statement by Warrior Met said it provides workers with a “competitive package” while protecting jobs that the future of the company. “We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement and hope it gets ratified by the UMWA in order for our miners to resume work and continue the positive impact this industry has on our state’s economic growth,” it said. The strike began as officials were counting ballots in Birmingham amid a push to unionize workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, located about 30 miles from the mines. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Strike set for Alabama coal mines barring late agreement
More than 1,100 workers at two Alabama coal mines and related facilities owned by Warrior Met Coal Inc. will go on strike barring a last-minute labor agreement, the United Mine Workers of America said Wednesday. Negotiators have not been able to reach a deal on a new contract, and workers will walk off the job Thursday night unless continuing negotiations succeed, said union spokesman Phil Smith. “We hope that an agreement can be reached, but the company will need to move substantially from where it is now for the union to have reason to take something back to our members for potential ratification,” he said. The union did not release details on a potential contract. Brookwood-based Warrior Met issued a statement through a publicist late Wednesday saying the company has been working in good faith to reach an agreement as the existing contract was set to expire. “Throughout negotiations, our sight has remained on the future -– to provide our employees with a competitive package while protecting jobs and the longevity of the Company and its workforce,” said the statement emailed by publicist Erin Vogt on behalf of Warrior Met Coal. Union officials said a strike would include the company’s No. 4 and No. 7 mines, a preparation plant and a central shop, all located in Tuscaloosa County, a union statement said. Workers sacrificed to bring the company out of the Walter Energy bankruptcy five years ago, President Cecil Roberts said in the statement. “These productive, professional miners at Warrior Met mined the coal that meant the company could become successful again,” he said. “And Warrior Met has capitalized on their hard work, earning tens of millions in profits for their Wall Street owners. They have even rewarded upper management with bonuses of up to $35,000 in recent weeks.” Warrior Met, which produces coal that’s used in steel production in Asia, Europe, and South America, recently reported a loss of about $35 million for last year compared to net income of $302 million for 2019. Citing uncertainty created by the global pandemic, the company did not release financial guidance for 2021. “We continue to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 and these other potentially disruptive factors on our business, although we believe that it is premature to speculate on when the economies of the countries in which our customers are located will reopen on a sustained basis” and return to normal demand, the company said in a statement in February. The global market for metallurgical coal is “rebounding” from the pandemic, Smith said. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Federal bankruptcy judge: Walter Energy can reject union deals, move to sell
A federal bankruptcy judge ruled against a motion to block $2 million in retention bonuses for Walter Energy executives Monday, and is also allowing the company to terminate the collective bargaining agreements it held with two unions — United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and United Steelworkers (USW) — as well as retiree benefits. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Tamara O. Mitchell in Birmingham found Walter Energy’s assets are eligible to be sold without the liabilities associated with union benefits. “This court finds that maintaining the coal operations as a going concern, keeping the mines open, offering future job opportunities and continuing to be a productive member of the business community all require this Court to overrule” the objections,” Mitchell wrote in an opinion filed Monday after two days of hearings. After her order, UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts responded in a statement Tuesday, “The decision announced today by Judge Tamara O. Mitchell of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Birmingham rejecting our collective bargaining agreement with Walter Energy and wiping out Walter’s obligation to pay retiree health care and pension benefits is extremely disappointing but not surprising.” Roberts continued, “The law is stacked against workers in American bankruptcy courts. A lifetime of hard work and dedication means nothing to the courts. The life or death decisions vulnerable senior citizens will now be forced to make mean nothing to the courts. Apparently all that matters is that executives get bonuses and Wall Street raiders get paid. “The fact that while she was stripping our members of everything, Judge Mitchell granted $2 million in bonuses to Walter management is especially galling. If this is justice in America, then something is very, very wrong.” Walter Energy filed for bankruptcy in July and laid off nearly 200 people at a mine in Tuscaloosa County. The company set to put its assets up for auction Jan. 5. As an opening bid, lenders who banded together as Coal Acquisition have offered to exchange $1.25 billion of debt and pay $5.4 million in cash.
