UMWA Issues Strike Notice at West Alabama’s Warrior Met Coal
The United Mine Workers of America has announced an imminent unfair labor practice strike for the employees of Warrior Met Coal, Inc. that is set to begin at 10:30 p.m. on April 1.
This notice applies to over 1,100 workers across all of Warrior Met's operations including the #4 mine, the #5 preparation plant, the #7 mine, and its Central Shop.
In a Wednesday press release, UMWA said it was the performance of the miners at Warrior Met that kept the company afloat in the aftermath of the bankruptcy of Walter Energy in 2016.
Since then, the union said, Warrior Met has earned tens of millions in profits for the corporation, and upper management was rewarded with bonuses of up to $35,000 in recent weeks.
"Instead of rewarding the sacrifices and work of the miners, Warrior Met is seeking even further sacrifices from them, while demonstrating perhaps some of the worst labor-management relations we’ve seen in this industry since the days of the company town and company store,” said UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts.
The UMWA has additionally filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board relating to Warrior Met's conduct during negotiations.
"Despite repeated attempts by our negotiating team to bridge the differences we have at the bargaining table, Warrior Met is going backward," Roberts said. "We have always been ready to reach a fair agreement that recognizes the sacrifices our members and their families made to keep this company alive. At this point, Warrior Met is not."
UMWA dues-paying members who participate in this strike will receive bi-weekly strike assistance from the union's Selective Strike fund. The union is also procuring health care coverage for its members and their families during the duration of the strike.
"Our members at Warrior Met should know that they have the full backing of the entire International Union and working families across Alabama, the United States and the world," Roberts said. "Despite Warrior Met’s apparent appetite for this conflict, we will prevail."
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