Want Safer Mines? Unionize Them: Underground coal fatalities: 109 In union mines: 22 (or 20.2%)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/4/7/855068/-Want-Safer-Mines-Unionize-Them

by Meteor Blades Wed Apr 07, 2010 at 02:06:04 PM PDT

It isn't a matter a matter of speculation. If you're an underground coal miner, your chances of emerging alive at the end of your shift are better if you work in a union mine than if you don't.

A report from the March 28, 2007, hearing on Protecting the Health and Safety of America's Mine Workers released by the House Committee on Education and Labor contains the following statistics for the five-year period of 2002-2006:

Underground coal injuries: 19,282

In union mines: 5,362 (or 27.8% of total)

Underground coal fatalities: 109

In union mines: 22 (or 20.2%)

According to the United Mine Workers of America, in 2007-2009, there were 45 underground coal-mining fatalities. Six of these were in union mines. Thus, for the 15-year period, less than one-fifth of the fatalities occurred in union mines.

Four years ago, Charles McCollester, then a professor in the Department of Industrial and Labor Relations at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, wrote:

In a non-union mine, the inspector has no back-up. It's his word against the company. The union has the right to accompany inspectors and provide documentation and testimony. The heart of the union presence, the local Mine Committee, meets monthly, receives additional training, has the right to inspect any part of the mine including its access, and must perform full inspections at least every two months.

Critically, workers in a union mine are not afraid to speak. In a non-union operation, asking questions or challenging company mining practices or safety procedures can lead to termination. The company's fear of knowledgeable, independent inspections was illustrated in their attempt to bar the entry of UMWA representatives at Sago .

In fact, union mines may have a higher number of citations for safety violations than non-union mines. That is because union inspectors accompany Mine Safety and Health Administration inspectors when they check out a mine. They are far less likely to pass over problem situations than are inspectors who are being pressed by company officials to finish up and get out of their hair so they can get back to digging. Union inspectors seek those citations because they want to prevent injury and death.

In non-union mines, it's not just an issue of operators not being pro-active on safety issues. It is, as the Associated Press reported today, a case of ferociously fighting citations of safety violations and fines levied by MSHA. Those citations and fines got tougher after Sago.

FULL story at link.

[JackintheGreen]

1. I don't know why I thought mining was still mostly union

It's criminal that anybody would be socially conditioned to this job without protections.

Kick this straight to coal country!

[Demoiselle]

2. I think it used to be, Jack...

Google John L. Lewis.

[stray cat]

3. How about inforcing government regulations?

[Omaha Steve]

5. W gutted them

Don't forget he put a non-union mine owner in charge of MSHA. Get the point? Then there is appeal, delay, etc...

Or check this one of many posts along these lines in the Labor Forum: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=367x25969

[sendero]

4. I have said many times here..

.. that I don't particularly love unions, but for people doing a dangerous job like mining unions are probably the best solution to management that puts making money way ahead of safety.

[harkadog]

6. Does anyone have a link that shows how many mines are union?

Otherwise the statistics don't have much value.

[dems_rightnow]

8. That's what I was thinking.

Pretty useless without more data.

Edit to say-

My expectation is that mining is HIGHLY unionized, but I base that on nothing but internal belief.

[sl8]

10. Link

Link to the report referenced in the OP, Protecting the Health and Safety of America's Mine Workers :

http://bulk.resource.org/gpo.gov/hearings/110h/34100.pdf

Scroll down to the table on page 94.

[harkadog]

14. Thanks for the link.

As I read it, it shows union represented mines are safer although not dramatically. It seems about 35% union underground representation and they have about 25% of injuries. It shows about 26% union represented surface mining and 22% of the injuries. Not much difference on the surface. Also what may be needed is the size of the mines. Are large mines more union and more safer? I don't know but that is a factor. I would certainly expect union mines to be safer because of on-site safety committees.

[goldcanyonaz]

7. They've tried this but they just brought in workers from out of the state.

Unfortunately if you have people willing to work and others willing to rent housing to them you won't have much luck forming a union.

I work at a mine and it's non union too. We go through MSHA and OSHA training a few times a year but barely any of the safety standards are in place.

Deaths are down but injuries are way up for us.

[madinmaryland]

9. One piece of information appears to be missing Steve. How many mines

are Union vs. Non-union and how many miners are union vs. non-union.

I think that would help support the statistics that were given in the article.

Thanks!

Oops. Sorry, Steve, I saw that had already been asked.

[Omaha Steve]

11. From the horses mouth

Here are corrected and overview stats on union representation and safety records...Phil Smith spokesperson at UMWA can be reached via email at [e-mail] if there are further questions (he's swamped with phone calls), and he's prepared a spread sheet that may be available to labor journalists and bloggers by tomorrow, comparing accidents at union vs. non union mines. Best source of detailed coverage is coal tattoo blog at Charleston newspaper:
http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/

The bulk of the miners that UMWA represents are underground miners; about 85% of total workforce of 50,000 in underground mining industry, 6 out of seven are miners, rest are management-related personnel..There are a total of 100,000 people in the entire mining industry, I believe...UMWA represents 29% of underground miners as of 2008.

[madinmaryland]

13. If only 3 in 10 miners are union, then those statistics are a bit lower

than expected. I thought there would be a much larger discrepancy between the union and non-union. I look forward to the information you referred to.

Thanks!

[AnArmyVeteran]

12. Limblah blamed the miners for their deaths... (another example of conservatives blaming the victim!)

Limblah was blathering on his show saying why did they die if it was a union mine!

Good god is Limblah stupid, ignorant and dishonest! He thinks all miners are in a union. And by the way he talked he was blaming the miners for their deaths. He thinks unions are evil and all bent on destroying companies, when in reality unions just want a just salary and safe working conditions. Rush would never know about such things because he has never worked a day in his life. He has never produced a product that is useful for society. An illegal migrant farm worker does more for his fellow man in one hour picking fruit or vegetables in a field than Limblah has done in his entire life. Bush Limblah has made a few hundred million dollars, just for marketing hate, anger, racism, fear and lies, none of which is good for society. That productive illegal migrant worker would have to work 45,000 years to make what one, totally unproductive Limblah makes sitting on his butt and making a complete ass out of himself.

How dare Limblaah blame the miners for their own deaths. The mine where those workers were killed knew the danger they faced, but they couldn't get their corrupt owner to install the necessary safety equipment. I hope that mine owner goes to prison for life, or better still, be forced to live in the bottom of one of the dangerous mines he sends others into. I am sick of corrupt, soulless white collared criminals abusing the most vulnerable and the hardest working people in society.