Merry Christmas! America’s Work Force Union Podcast is spending Christmas Day looking back at some of the best episodes of 2024! Join us as we revisit the first interview of 2024 with United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts, who discussed the Warrior Met Strike in Alabama, outdated protective equipment for miners and the dangers of silica dust.
Roberts began by detailing the two-year Warrior Met Strike in Alabama. He said the coal company was the target of many protests because management did not try to negotiate for a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Roberts called the company anti-union and discussed why the miners were forced to return to work, despite a lack of resolution on a new CBA.
Roberts next addressed the use of outdated protective equipment in the industry. He explained how the masks that miners wear put them at risk of suffocation and death due to multiple breathing hazards. Roberts urged the public to fight against a Congressional plan to end needed safety funding and introduce new bills to implement better health and safety measures for miners.
Finally, Roberts discussed the impact of silica dust. This has affected many young miners who have developed Black Lung Disease. He explained how the dust is created as a byproduct of equipment that cuts through rock, which is then inhaled by the miners. When the dust is inhaled for an extended period due to outdated safety equipment, workers get sick. Sadly, the only cure for “Black Lung” is a lung transplant.
Hear more from the Best of 2024 featuring Roberts by listening to the show above.