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After 125 years, UMW still engaged in struggles

Charleston Daily Mail photo by Cecil Roberts  United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts stands next to a bust of longtime union president John L. Lewis. Unlike his predecessor, Roberts is tasked with dealing with a number of issues including underfunded pensions, carbon emissions regulations and competition from natural gas.
Charleston Daily Mail photo by Cecil Roberts
United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts stands next to a bust of longtime union president John L. Lewis. Unlike his predecessor, Roberts is tasked with dealing with a number of issues including underfunded pensions, carbon emissions regulations and competition from natural gas.

TRIANGLE, Va. — Last week, the United Mine Workers of America celebrated its 125th anniversary. The union has faced a lot of issues during its existence — from government takeovers to increased safety regulations, including a number of major ones that remain unresolved today.

Union president Cecil Roberts says there are many different things affecting miners today, from rising cases of pneumoconiosis to the onerous regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency. But the top legislative priority for the union is to encourage the new Republican-led Congress to enact a law that would provide relief to retired miners and their families.

“If we’re going to make policy in this country that adversely affects an industry, then we ought to make policy that also takes care of those people who give their lives to this industry,” Roberts said during a recent interview at his office in Triangle, Va.

Roberts, a native of Cabin Creek, is optimistic lawmakers will be able to pass an updated version of the Coal Healthcare and Pensions Protection Act of 2013, which nearly became law before being lost in the political shuffle.

Today, the UMW’s 1974 pension plan, which covers about 100,000 members, is underfunded. Roberts said the pension plan is in dire need of attention.

“We’ve got a shrinking industry and we’ve got a huge group of elderly folks to take care of. And the shrinking industry is creating a situation where the pensions and the health care are threatened, in addition to the fact that we’re seeing this massive reduction in the number of coal miners…

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