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:: Saturday, October 09, 2004 ::

Utah miners mark one year of union-organizing battle The Militant
The bosses fired the 75 Co-Op miners on Sept. 22, 2003, for defending a co-worker who had been dismissed and other UMWA supporters who had been harassed after demanding safety on the job and livable wages. These miners were paid between $5.25 and $7 an hour, while wages for underground coal miners in the United States average around $17 an hour.

The day after the firings, the UMWA filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the NLRB, which ruled in late spring that the miners had been dismissed illegally and that a union election must be held at Co-Op. Soon after the firings, the miners turned the lockout into a strike and began picketing the mine.

During the nine-and-a-half month walkout, the miners won increasing solidarity from the labor movement in the United States and other countries. After the NLRB ruling, the Co-Op bosses made an unconditional offer to return, and a number of strikers were back on the job on July 12.

posted 9:15 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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