Fred Redmond, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the one-year anniversary of the Warrior Met Coal strike.
One year ago today, April 1, 2021, the United Mine Workers of America went on strike at the Alabama mine. Over the course of the next 365 days, no progress was made in the talks and today, workers remain on the picket line.
The strike is a classic example of corporate greed at its worst, Redmond said. He pointed out that it was the miners who brought the mine out of bankruptcy by agreeing to a $6 an hour wage reduction and a reduced benefits package. Now that the company is highly profitable, Warrior Met refuses to reinstate those lost wages and benefits, he said.
The miners are simply asking the company to restore the benefits lost, nothing more, he added.
Redmond then spoke about the confirmation hearings for President Biden’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Her performance at the hearings exemplified why Biden nominated her, he said. Jackson is imminently qualified with the temperament, knowledge and experience to sit on the nation’s highest court, he added.
Redmond said it was sad to witness the Republican antics, which made a mockery of her hearings. Nevertheless, he predicted at least a few Republicans will back her nomination to give her bipartisan support.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics: