March - April - United Mine Workers of America

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to slave wages. In Pennsylvania, there’sright-to-work legislation being debated.The governor has slashed publiceducation and higher education,all the things that keep the middleclass alive, while giving tax cuts tobig business.“This won’t end with the publicsector; it will move to the privatesector,” Mullooly warned. “Thanks tothe Citizens United case, unlimitedfunds are now going into elections.They know we can’t match themdollar for dollar; all we can do is putmore boots on the ground.“In this fight, the union has tobe the head of the spear,” Mulloolysaid. “We have to fight for what othersfought and died for, and last one daylonger than they do. And not just forus. If we don’t stand up for the teachers,who’s going to stand up for us?”a danger facing all of usA recent New York Times-CBS pollshows that Americans oppose effortsto weaken the collective bargainingrights of public employee unions bya nearly 2–1 margin. And more andmore, they are willing to stand upand say so.“People are looking at what’s goingon and saying, ‘This is a struggleI want to be a part of,’”said PresidentRoberts. “Every week, thousandsmore are on the march, fighting topreserve their rights.”With this kind of public support,it’s easy to see how the labor movementhas been newly energized totake back our country.“Budget deficits are just anexcuse,” said Craig Thompson, a l.U.8923 member who works in the ElkCounty, Pa., prison. “They really wantto get rid of the unions. We shoulddo as much as we can to support theunions in all these states, because if itworks there, it will help all of us.”For coalminers, the attackon publicworkers hasimmediate implications.Withthe NationalBituminousCoal WageCraig Thompson,L.U. 8923Agreement due to expire at the endof this year, we can be sure that coalemployers are looking closely atthe national debate over pensions,and may shape their bargainingstance accordingly.“these busInessesDon’t want usweakeneD—theywant us elImInateD.”“I’m going to do all I can toreach a fair agreement with the companies,”President Roberts said. “Butwe may not be able to get that donebefore the contract expires. And thenwhat? If anyone thinks that the argumentsand tactics that are being usedagainst the public employees won’tbe used against us in some form,they need to think again. Count onit: We’re next.“This ‘balancing the budget’argument is bogus,” Roberts said.“The politicians who are screamingfor spending cuts are the same guyswho give their wealthy donors everytax cut they can find.“You know, if the rich paid taxesat the same rate as they did duringthe Eisenhower administration,our national debt would be gone,”Roberts said. “And that was the timeof the greatest long-term period ofeconomic prosperity in United Stateshistory. And there were still plentyof millionaires and billionaires then,DAVID KAMERASthey were just more willing to paytheir fair share to help their countrythan they are now.”this is everyone’s fightSo what should union members do?“All public employees, and all privateemployees, are going to be affectedwithout the intervention of unions,”said Alan Bertram, a l.U. 616 correctionsofficer in Cambria County, Pa.“Over the years, union rights havecontinued to dwindle in this country.If Wisconsin sets a precedent, theattacks are going to travel all overthe country, and I don’t thinkthat’s good forworking people.”“Workingpeople have tostick together,”added Secretary-Treasurer Kane. “Itis my firm opinionthat we have to goAlan Bertram,L.U. 616back on the attack. We belong tothe most militant labor organizationin the world, and I am determinedthat we’re going to stay that way.In solidarity with our fellowunionists, we are one, and weare everywhere.”“At lattimer, ludlow, Matewan,Blair Mountain and elsewhere,members of the UMWA and ourfamilies have been the victims of theexcesses of powerful elitists like theKoch brothers and their politicalallies,” said President Roberts.“We fought back, we perseveredand we won.“Today, we stand ready to assistour brothers and sisters in sin, Indiana, Ohio and anywhereWisconelsein our country in any way wecan as they embark on their ownfight to win back their rightsas Americans,” Roberts said.“Their fight is our fight.” DAVID KAMERAS8 March/April 2011 • United Mine Workers Journal
“we are one, anD we are everywhere.”thousands march and rally forcollective bargaining rightsEMIlY SMIThBraving snow, wind, rain and cold, more than 5,000UMWA members, families, fellow unionists and othersupporters from surrounding states marched 1.5 milesthrough the streets of Waynesburg, Pa., on Apr. 1 in adefiant show of solidarity with public employees and otherworkers battling the latest wave of union-busting attacks.“If you think the attempts to cut pay and benefits forpublic employees don’t matter to you, I’ve got news foryou,” President Roberts told the marchers. “Today, it’sthe public employees. Tomorrow it’s the Steelworkers.Tomorrow it’s the Auto Workers. Tomorrow it’s the coalminers. Now is the time to stand up, fightback, turn these people around.”The march’s destination was theGreene County Fairgrounds, wherea succession of dynamic speakerswarmed up the overflow crowd withcalls to fight back against effortsin dozens of states to strip publicsector workers of their collectivebargaining rights and to furtherweaken those in the private sector.Among the guests wereSteelworkers President LeoGerard, PennsylvaniaAFL-CIOPresident RickBloomingdale,Ohio AFL-CIO President Tim Burga, Wisconsin AFL-CIOSecretary-Treasurer Stephanie Bloomingdale, MetropolitanWashington DC AFL-CIO President Joslyn Williams andformer AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Bill Lucy.“We are at a defining momentin our history,” said Secretary-Treasurer Kane. “Giving morepower to these right-wing,job-killing, scabbing SOBsis a mistake of monumentalproportions. We’re not going to“stanD up, fIghtback, turn thesepeople arounD.”do it. We’re going to take our country back, we’re goingto kick them out of office and we’re going to bring ourcountry back to the people.”Another focus of the rally was the continuing campaign toconvince Alpha Natural Resources to open two new minesin southwestern Pennsylvania under a UMWA agreement.L.U. 2258 President Anthony Swetz and L.U. 2300 PresidentTony Brnusak joined others in driving that point home,pointing out that the company has made billions from thesweat and blood of generations of UMWA members.DAVID KAMERASDAVID KAMERASUnited Mine Workers Journal • March/April 2011 9
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