Members of United Transportation Union Locals 650 and 1614 raised $1,000 at their holiday party to aid Utah miners who have been fired and endured many hardships for trying to form a union.
Nationwide, people are showing support for the workers through the AFL-CIO's Voice@Work Campaign. Online contributions may be made by going to www.unionvoice.org
On Dec. 9, one week before they were scheduled to vote in a union representation election, 35 miners were fired by C.W. Mining Co. in Huntington, Utah. The National Labor Relations Board held the election and the workers were allowed to vote while their firings are appealed, but they face many months before the federal agency makes a decision on their fate.
The workers, many of them Latino immigrants, have been fighting to get a union for more than a year. In September 2003, the company locked them out for eight months because they protested unsafe working conditions. With help from the United Mine Workers of America, they were reinstated, but their pay and benefits remain very low, the union said.
The miners live paycheck to paycheck, earning between $5.50 and $8 an hour, and receive no health benefits ? even though they perform one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, the union said.
C.W. Mining, which is owned by Utah's powerful Kingston family, said it fired the 35 workers because it discovered they were undocumented. The Mine Workers union called the move "blatant employer retaliation."
"C.W. Mining turning a blind eye for years to the citizenship status of so many of the workers it fired today, but then suddenly did an abrupt about-face on the eve of an election.," said UMWA President Cecil Roberts.
"Since our union's inception in 1890, our members have prided themselves on the fact that the UMWA was one of America's first labor unions to pass resolutions prohibiting worker discrimination of any kind, be it gender, race or religion. That is why we intend to fight this blatant retaliatory move against these Latino miners with every tool at our disposal."
In the Twin Cities, UTU Local 650 Chairman Dave Riehle coordinated the emergency Christmas appeal to help the miners. Locals 650 and 1614 represent workers employed by the Union Pacific Railroad.
In addition to raising money to help the workers, Riehle is urging people to send messages protesting the firings and demanding reinstatement. Letters may be sent to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, 215 E. Main St., Price, UT 84501, (telephone 435-637-3051) and the National Labor Relations Board, Region 27 Director B. Allen Benson, 600 17th St., 7th floor-North Tower, Denver, CO 80202. (telephone 303-844-3551; fax 303-844-6249).
Copies of the letters to the MSHA and NLRB and messages of support may be sent to the Co-Op Miners, UMWA District 22, 525 East, 100 South, Price, UT 84501. (telephone 435-637-2037; tax 435-637-9456).
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Members of United Transportation Union Locals 650 and 1614 raised $1,000 at their holiday party to aid Utah miners who have been fired and endured many hardships for trying to form a union.
Nationwide, people are showing support for the workers through the AFL-CIO’s Voice@Work Campaign. Online contributions may be made by going to www.unionvoice.org
On Dec. 9, one week before they were scheduled to vote in a union representation election, 35 miners were fired by C.W. Mining Co. in Huntington, Utah. The National Labor Relations Board held the election and the workers were allowed to vote while their firings are appealed, but they face many months before the federal agency makes a decision on their fate.
The workers, many of them Latino immigrants, have been fighting to get a union for more than a year. In September 2003, the company locked them out for eight months because they protested unsafe working conditions. With help from the United Mine Workers of America, they were reinstated, but their pay and benefits remain very low, the union said.
The miners live paycheck to paycheck, earning between $5.50 and $8 an hour, and receive no health benefits ? even though they perform one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, the union said.
C.W. Mining, which is owned by Utah’s powerful Kingston family, said it fired the 35 workers because it discovered they were undocumented. The Mine Workers union called the move “blatant employer retaliation.”
“C.W. Mining turning a blind eye for years to the citizenship status of so many of the workers it fired today, but then suddenly did an abrupt about-face on the eve of an election.,” said UMWA President Cecil Roberts.
“Since our union’s inception in 1890, our members have prided themselves on the fact that the UMWA was one of America’s first labor unions to pass resolutions prohibiting worker discrimination of any kind, be it gender, race or religion. That is why we intend to fight this blatant retaliatory move against these Latino miners with every tool at our disposal.”
In the Twin Cities, UTU Local 650 Chairman Dave Riehle coordinated the emergency Christmas appeal to help the miners. Locals 650 and 1614 represent workers employed by the Union Pacific Railroad.
In addition to raising money to help the workers, Riehle is urging people to send messages protesting the firings and demanding reinstatement. Letters may be sent to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, 215 E. Main St., Price, UT 84501, (telephone 435-637-3051) and the National Labor Relations Board, Region 27 Director B. Allen Benson, 600 17th St., 7th floor-North Tower, Denver, CO 80202. (telephone 303-844-3551; fax 303-844-6249).
Copies of the letters to the MSHA and NLRB and messages of support may be sent to the Co-Op Miners, UMWA District 22, 525 East, 100 South, Price, UT 84501. (telephone 435-637-2037; tax 435-637-9456).