Massey Workers Reject Union Representation

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Massey Energy says workers at one of its coal mines in Boone County have voted not to join the United Mine Workers Union.

Workers at the Progress Coal Company near the community of Van rejected union representation on a 180 to 110 vote.
http://www.wvmetronews.com/index_forsub.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=19073

Anyone have any insight on this? Is the UMW going to be a thing of the past?

[aquart]

1. Why?

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2. I don't work there so I wouldn't know but in some

cases if the company treats their employees fair you don't need a Union. In principle I am in favor of Unions but if you have corrupt Union officials that are only interested in lining their own pockets you may be better off without one. I have worked in a Union plant for over 30 years and it seems like the names of our Officials never change they just get passed down to the next generation.
We have voted them out a couple times but we have never been able to get total control from them for instance the last time we got the President and VP and had a 50/50 split in the grievance committee and one of them switched sides. It was like when Clinton was in office and the Republicans dogged him for 8 years. They kept the grievance Committee locked up so nothing could be settled locally and the District was opposing everything from the other side. After 6 years of warfare they got control again.

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3. Massey's CEO Don Blankenship is a Rightwing

bastard and practically controls the state of West Virginia. The employees voted down Union representation so they must be happy.

[Staph]

4. According to the AP story,

...

'The Richmond, Va.-based Massey is a largely nonunion company. The union filed a petition with the NLRB on March 7 to represent workers at the Progress mine near Twilight in Boone County.

'Union spokesman Phil Smith said the UMW sought the election after a majority of the mine's employees "signed cards indicating that they wanted a union."

'"This election had little to do with actual workplace democracy and workers having a free voice to express their will about whether or not they wanted union representation," Smith said. "It had everything to do with a vicious campaign of fear and intimidation on the part of the company, which is precisely what the Employee Free Choice Act will eliminate."

'The law would take away the right of employers to demand secret-ballot elections by workers before unions could be recognized.'

From the AP story on Forbes.com -- http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/04/19/ap3632612.html

Sounds to me like intimidation by Don Blankenship -- vote against the union or we'll shut it down and you'll lose your job.

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6. The 1935 Wagner Act prohibits intimidation during election for Union recognition

This "...vicious campaign of fear..." might have been in violation of the Wagner Act. You would think that Blankenship would have found ways to intimidate employees without technically running afoul of the Act. But although he is powerful he is actually not very smart.

[petestern]

7. Nothing New For Blankenship

Don Blankenship and Massey Energy have proven to be a real enemy of workers rights. He made a real attempt to affect the outcome of the election last November in West Virginia and got his ass kicked by voters who put even more Democrats back into the State Senate and the House of Delegates. If you are interested in participating in a home grown blog where you can discuss more about politics in West Virginia with other Democrats and progressives check out WVaBlue.

Blankenship has indicated that Massey is interested in acquiring what they refer to as unprofitable coal companies so they can shut them down and fill their contracts with profitable Massey contracts. Massey and Blankenship are not good for West Virginia.

[Lasher]

5. The DuPont chemical plant at Belle has always been non-union

The Union Carbide plant just downriver at South Charleston has always been union. The DuPont workers get treated about as well as the ones at Union Carbide, to keep the union out. But if there were no unions at all, it would be a different story.

The DuPont workers are letting the Carbide workers pay their dues. Kinda the same thing with these Massey miners.