January - February - United Mine Workers of America
January - February - United Mine Workers of America
January - February - United Mine Workers of America
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Government<br />
in action<br />
Michael Ryan, L.U. 8843<br />
Although it will be tough, I feel President Obama will turn this country<br />
around. I look forward to an administration where the President’s pick<br />
to lead MSHA will be someone<br />
who will be fair and just,<br />
unlike the previous administration’s<br />
pick, who was in<br />
the back pocket <strong>of</strong> the coal<br />
operators. Obama has the<br />
potential <strong>of</strong> being the most<br />
positive change coal miners<br />
have ever seen.<br />
Matt Alley<br />
in the 1930s and ’40s,” Roberts said.<br />
“And the reason working families<br />
have seen their real incomes shrink<br />
over the last decade is because <strong>of</strong> the<br />
loss <strong>of</strong> union membership and power<br />
<strong>of</strong> the labor movement.<br />
“If we are to rebuild <strong>America</strong><br />
and work our way out <strong>of</strong> the economic<br />
disaster left to us by George<br />
Bush and his big business cronies,<br />
then a renewed and strengthened<br />
labor movement must be part <strong>of</strong> the<br />
solution,” Roberts said. “Any other<br />
course will keep us all on the slippery<br />
slope to economic ruin.” <br />
demand fair treatment and a voice<br />
on the job.<br />
“<strong>America</strong>’s labor laws are broken,”<br />
said President Roberts. “The<br />
employers and their armies <strong>of</strong> unionbusting<br />
consultants have figured<br />
out loopholes in the law big enough<br />
to drive a steamroller through, and<br />
that’s just what they’ve been doing.<br />
“Employers know it’s illegal to<br />
fire someone for union activity, but<br />
they fire them anyway,”<br />
Roberts said.<br />
“If they ever have to<br />
face a penalty, it will<br />
be years away and<br />
not anything serious.<br />
In the climate <strong>of</strong> fear<br />
and intimidation<br />
that is so prevalent<br />
in <strong>America</strong>n workplaces<br />
today, the choice people have<br />
is not whether they want a union or<br />
not, it’s whether they want a job or<br />
not. That’s just wrong and needs to<br />
be changed.”<br />
The Employee Free Choice Act<br />
is the solution to this problem. It will<br />
restore workplace rights for millions<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>America</strong>ns by:<br />
• Allowing employees to form<br />
unions by signing cards authorizing<br />
union representation, or by<br />
holding a secret-ballot election<br />
should the workers—not the<br />
companies—choose to hold one.<br />
• Establishing stronger penalties for<br />
violation <strong>of</strong> employee rights when<br />
workers seek to form a union, and<br />
during first-contract negotiations.<br />
• Providing for<br />
mediation and<br />
arbitration <strong>of</strong> firstcontract<br />
disputes.<br />
The U.S. House<br />
passed the Employee<br />
Free Choice Act last<br />
year, but it was never<br />
brought up for a<br />
vote in the Senate.<br />
President Obama was a cosponsor <strong>of</strong><br />
the legislation in 2008, and consistently<br />
stated his support during the<br />
campaign and since. The entire U.S.<br />
labor movement is working hard for<br />
passage <strong>of</strong> this bill.<br />
“The only reason there is a<br />
middle class in <strong>America</strong> today is<br />
because <strong>of</strong> the rise <strong>of</strong> labor unions<br />
Manuel Anaya,<br />
L.U. 3106<br />
I think Obama has the ability<br />
to work with both sides, so we<br />
can finally get something done<br />
instead <strong>of</strong> people in Washington<br />
pointing fingers at each<br />
other. We’ve got to undo much<br />
<strong>of</strong> what happened under the<br />
prior administration. We need<br />
labor people in MSHA, instead<br />
<strong>of</strong> rewarding corporate cronies<br />
who are looking for a title.<br />
We’ve had people in there who<br />
were hired based on who they<br />
knew, not what they know.<br />
David Kameras<br />
<strong>United</strong> <strong>Mine</strong> <strong>Workers</strong> Journal • <strong>January</strong>/<strong>February</strong> 2009 13