By Doug Cunningham

The United Mine Workers of America has endorsed a single-payer universal national health care system for the U.S. The mine worker’s union has joined more than 440 other labor organizations in backing the bill sponsored by Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan. UMWA President Cecil Roberts.

[Roberts]: “When George Bush gets sick who pays for that? Aw come on, who pays for that?
[Crowd]: “We do!”)
“When ol’ Dick Cheney gets sick who pays for that?"
[Crowd]: “We Do!”)
“When Condaleeza Rice gets sick, who pays for that?”
[Crowd]:”We Do!”

Three Democratic candidates are now campaigning in Iowa with major labor endorsements. Jesse Russell has a look:

Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd was the first to receive a labor nod coming from the International Association of Firefighters. New York Senator Hillary Clinton has recently picked up the endorsements from both the International Association of Machinists and the United Transportation Union. In a unique move the Machinists also endorsed a Republican candidate – former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Huckabee was the only Republican candidate who agreed to speak at the Machinists recent convention. And just in time for Labor Day, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards picked up two major union endorsements – from the United Steelworkers and the United Mineworkers of America. Edwards had already received an endorsement from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters.

With a number of mine catastrophes in the press during the recent year, New Jersey has taken the proactive step of increasing fines for violations of mine safety laws. Fines for violations had previously been set between $25 and $500. The new laws see a substantial jump of $2,500 for a first offense, $5,000 for a second offense, and up to $10,000 for a third offense. In addition, mine owners can be fined up to $25,000 for violations that result in injury to workers. There are currently 200 operating mines in the state.

Hope is waning at a mine in Utah after the most recent hole drilled found the air quality unable to sustain life. Until Sunday, mine rescue workers had kept an optimistic tone. The situation at the mine went from bad to worse Thursday evening as what is being described as a seismic "bump" caused a further collapse as rescue workers sought out the original six miners. Three workers were killed in the Thursday collapse and five others were injured. After more than a week there is no indication that the six trapped miners are still alive.

By Doug Cunningham

Rescuers are trying to reach six Utah miners trapped by a mine collapse. United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts says the UMWA will help in any way possible in the rescue operation. The UMWA says President Roberts and every UMWA member is praying for the trapped miners and their families. The union has a longstanding tradition of lending any form of assistance regardless of whether the affected mine is union or not. The mine collapse was so severe that at first it was thought to be an earthquake. But scientists now say the seismic jolt was caused by the mine collapse.

By Jesse Russell

With a possible strike on the horizon at three coal mines, the President of the United Mine Workers plans to lead a major rally. The rally will take place at 10 a.m. on Thursday in Princeton Illinois. The UMWA has already filed an unfair labor practice complaint against Foundation Coal for failing to provide information needed to bargain. The April 4 strike would impact 1300 miners in Pennsylvania and Illinois.

The mine where 12 workers lost their lives in 2006 has been closed.

By Jesse Russell

The decision to close the Sago mine was announced a day after the United Mineworkers issued a report that condemned the policies of the Mine Safety and Health Administration and the mine operator. The union said in a letter that the “union has determined that the most likely cause of the explosion was the conditions contained solely within the sealed area of the mine where the explosion occurred.” The letter goes on to say that if safety was put first then the 12 men who died in the 2006 blast would still be alive today. Mine operator International Coal Group said the reason for shuttering the mine at this time had nothing to do with the letter from the union. They said high production coasts and weak coal sales were the primary reason. ICG lost 9.3 million dollars last year.

By Doug Cunningham

Members of the United Mine Workers of America will be voting on a new tentative five-year deal with the Bituminous Coal Operators Association on December 21st. UMWA President Cecil Roberts says Congressional passage of the Abandoned Mine Lands Fund reauthorization helping to fund retiree health plans helped immensely in getting the contract done.

By Doug Cunningham

The United Mine Workers of America is hailing renewal of the Abandoned Mine Lands program that guarantees health insurance for retired miners and their widows. The health care guarantee from the federal government was first made by President Harry Truman. The beneficiaries are families who worked for mines no longer in operation. The program was designed to make sure that miners who risked their health providing coal for the nation’s electricity and industrial needs had their health insurance needs covered in retirement.

By Doug Cunningham

United Mineworkers of America members shed their blood in 1898 defending their union rights in a Virden, Illinois gun battle with armed strikebreaking company guards. John Alexander of the Virden Sesquicentennial Group says the miner’s battle is being honored now with a bronze memorial.

[John Alexander 1]: "Today coal miners have it much better. And one of the reasons they do is that their great-great Grandfathers stood up and fought at places like Virden, Illinois."

The memorial commemorating the UMWA's Battle of Virden will be dedicated this Saturday.

By Doug Cunningham

George W. Bush is using a recess-appointment to put Richard Stickler in charge of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. According to the United Mineworkers of America the mines that Stickler managed from 1989 – 1996 had worker injury rates double the national average. The U.S. Senate twice sent Stickler’s nomination back to the White House. But Bush is using his presidential power to appoint Stickler to MSHA while the Senate is out of session. Forty coal miners have died on the job so far this year.

By Doug Cunningham

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is about to change its safety violations rules, increasing fines for mine safety violations. But the United Mineworkers of America says the increased fines for mine safety violations and other changes do nothing to address a core problem – lax enforcement by MSHA. The Mine Safety and Health Administration estimates the new rules will increase the average penalty for safety violations per mine from $213 to $587.

By Doug Cunningham

Former U.S. Senator John Edwards says Democrats have to quit aiming just for the political center and instead fully embrace workers and their unions. In a speech to a mineworkers gathering in Law Vegas Edwards said Democrats should “show some backbone and guts and actually fight for the people we’ve always fought for”.

Senator Edwards told the mineworkers in Las Vegas that Democrats should support labor law reform to ban the hiring of replacements for striking workers and to make it easier for workers to join unions.

Edwards is on a national crusade against poverty and says it’s “immoral” that the Bush administration has passed tax cuts for the rich and given subsidies to oil companies while cutting health care programs and college loans. He said the 12 miners at Sago would not have died had the Bush administration not cut funding for mine safety.

By Doug Cunningham

The United Mine Workers of America says an attempt by the Sago mine owners to blame lightning for the explosion that led to the deaths of 12 West Virginia coal miners is reckless and premature. UMWA's Phil Smith says this is NOT an official finding.

[Phil Smith 1] : "It is important to note that this is ICG investigating itself. These folks have a vested interest in pointing the finger somewhere else besides what their own actions may have done to cause this explosion. You know, if it was lightning then that's an act of God. And you can't sue God."

The UMWA has been involved in the investigation into the Sago tragedy, making sure workers have a voice in the probe. Smith says the UMWA will also be involved in the next phase - public hearings.

By Doug Cunningham

United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts says the government has fatally failed coal miners on safety regulations. Roberts and the UMWA say the Bush administration has been a disaster for miners' safety, with safety rules repealed and mining executives put in charge of the rules for miner safety. The union says miners need a miners' advocate with a passion for safety to be running the Mining Safety and Health Administration.

[Cecil Roberts] : "What we need is an advocate. Let me say that again - an advocate for the coal miners. We need a coal miner to have a voice in this agency and we need someone that's on fire for protecting coal miners' health and safety."

By Doug Cunningham

The United Mine Workers' Phil Smith says it supports West Virginia Gov. Manchin's efforts to increase mine safety. But the union is doing even more than holding safety meetings.

[Phil Smith] : "We have taken that one step further at mines where the UMWA represents the workers. We are doing complete, thorough, meticulous safety inspections."

And despite efforts by Sago mine owners to keep them out the UMWA is still involved in the Sago investigation.

By Doug Cunningham

During the rescue attempt at the Sago mine in West Virginia the mine owners tried to keep the United Mine Workers of America from entering the site. The Mine Safety and Health Administration is pursuing an injunction against the International Coal Group to keep them from barring union safety and rescue teams and officials in the future. UMWA Administrator of Occupational Health and Safety Dennis O'Dell.

[Dennis O'Dell 1] : "Sago, they tried to kick us out. I was on the property with the mine rescue teams and they asked us to leave. They tried to remove us from the property after the first body had been found."

By Doug Cunningham

The United Mine Workers of America's Administrator of Occupational Health and Safety told Workers Independent News from Capitol Hill that Congress seems genuinely receptive to beefing up mine safety. Dennis O'Dell says the biggest problem is making safety a priority over profits.

[Dennis O'Dell] : "There's this mindset out there that if it's not economically feasible to do something then it doesn't get done. And I think that's our biggest hurdle is to make people understand - look, you can't put a price on a person's life. And you have to realize that production doesn't come first and safety does."

By Doug Cunningham

The West Virginia coal mine where the thirteen miners were trapped had two and a half times the national average of safety violations, including 18 "serious and substantial" violations likely to cause injury to miners. Phil Smith, Communications Director with the United Mine Workers of America, says union rescue teams and safety experts are at the scene…

[Phil Smith 1]: "The UMWA has offered all of its resources that we can bring to bear to help both get these trapped miners out, if we indeed can do that, and support the families. To that end, the fine rescue teams that are advancing into the mines are UMWA mine rescue teams from three of the surrounding mines there that are members of the UMWA . Our Director of Occupational Health and Safety is on site at the mine providing whatever assistance he can. Certainly our prayers and our hopes are with the families."

By Doug Cunningham

Peabody mines has its headquarters in St. Louis and workers are calling on the company to recognize the basic right to form a union. The United Mine Workers of America marched on Peabody's St. Louis offices this week protesting routine human rights violations in the workplace. UMWA Communications Director Phil Smith.

[Phil Smith 1] : "Their normal scheduled shift is 11 hours a day Monday through Friday and then another eight hours on Saturday. Many of them don't receive a lunch break, they have no sick days. Health and safety on the job is kind of a secondary notion sometimes."