Striking Alabama coal miners endure arrests, see little progress: ‘We’re just standing together’

Brookwood strike

A striking miner holds copies of the old Warrior Met Coal contract, and the previous 2011 agreement, outside the UMWA Union Hall in Brookwood, Ala., Friday, June 4, 2021. (William Thornton/wthornton@al.com)

Ramey Foster wanted to illustrate why miners have been on strike for more than two months against Warrior Met Coal, so he pulled out two small booklets.

One was thin, yellow, dog-eared and stained, while the other was a pristine, thick white paperback perhaps four times the size of the other.

“This is the contract we’ve been working under,” Foster said, holding up the smaller one, which he kept in the bib of his overalls while in the mines.

“And this is the old one we used to work under,” he said, nodding toward the much larger one.

More than 1,100 workers at Warrior Met Coal hit the picket lines on April 1, striking for better pay and benefits.

Nearly two weeks into the strike, it appeared a settlement had been reached, but that was rejected after the union members “emphatically” voted down the tentative agreement, saying it was not sufficient, according to the United Mine Workers of America.

In May, nearly a dozen miners were arrested during a protest outside a mine in Tuscaloosa County. Warrior Met Coal has continued with operations during the strike.

In 2020, feeling the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic due to demand and pricing, Warrior Met Coal reported a net loss of about $35 million.

But its president in February said the company was cash flow positive in the fourth quarter and nearly breaking even for the year. The company produces coal used in steel production in Asia, Europe and South America.

Warrior Met Coal did not comment for this story.

It’s the first strike for miners in the area since the early 80s. Larry Spencer, District 20 Vice President of the UMWA, said the company has not moved from its last position.

“We don’t feel any closer,” Spencer said. “We may have a meeting scheduled for Tuesday. Maybe it’ll be better off after that.”

Spencer said the striking miners are “hanging strong,” though some are growing anxious to go back to work. “That’s normal,” he said.

Vacant picket line

A few empty chairs sit with picket signs across from Warrior Met Coal offices in Brookwood, Ala., Friday, June 4, 2021. About 1,100 miners and workers have been striking for more than two months, seeking better pay and benefits. (William Thornton / wthornton@al.com)

The current agreement with the union was negotiated as Warrior Met emerged from the bankruptcy proceedings of the former Walter Energy, which declared bankruptcy in 2016.

Union members say they made numerous concessions in pay, benefits, holidays, overtime and in other areas to keep the company going and get it out of bankruptcy.

‘We produced ungodly amounts of coal.’

Carl White, president of Local 2397, has worked 16 years in the mines. He said the miners listened when approached by the company five years ago.

“They said, ‘Y’all work with us through this, and when we get to making money, we’ll take care of you when the contract comes up,” he said. “It’s just the company being greedy.”

There are particular sticking points with the striking miners.

According to them, miners lost about $6 an hour under the bankruptcy contract, which added up even more when you consider the accumulation of overtime.

In the tentative offer, the company proposed a $1.50 raise over five years.

Union members also talk of hits to 401(k) and pension plans, and pulling longer mandatory shifts.

Stricter policies also meant workers could only get three days off for a death in the immediate family. Missing four days was grounds for termination, they said.

“We’re being peaceful during this,” White said. “We’re just standing together, waiting for the company to do the right thing. We produced ungodly amounts of coal for these guys, and it feels like we’re getting the shaft.”

‘Nobody ever wants to strike’

White stood outside the union hall on Alabama 216, or Miners Memorial Highway, named for the 13 miners killed in a 2001 explosion at the then-Jim Walter Resources No. 5 mine in Brookwood.

The 20th anniversary for that event will take place Sept. 23 of this year.

White knew Clarence “Bit” Boyd who died that day, a man he considered an uncle, who took him on hunting and fishing trips.

The danger in mining is never far from any miner’s mind, he said. Yet working there is “more than a job - it’s a heritage.”

“Nobody ever wants to strike,” he said. “But we don’t want to go another contract under these conditions.”

Jason Gamble has worked at the No. 4 mine for five years.

On a late Friday afternoon, he was part of the crew keeping the union hall open 24 hours, supplying snacks and cold drinks to strikers, or getting someone ready to take a place on the line.

He said there’s a good core group involved in the strike, so he feels many were prepared for the long haul.

Like them, he had a feeling a strike was coming, so he was ready. The union is also paying bi-weekly strike benefits to dues-paying members participating in strike activity.

“I had plenty of money put up,” Gamble said. “But I’ll tell you, it’s going fast.”

Foster has worked for two years in Mine No. 4.

When he went for his job interview, there were 74 other applicants. A job with the kind of pay and benefits available in the mines was sought after in the community, he said. He was one of only five people hired.

In his time, he’s worked six day weeks, 12 hours at a stretch, “whatever needed to be done.” The last contract offer, he said, was not good enough.

“On paper, they might have thought it looked good,” he said. “But it would to someone who’s not looking you in the face.”

Foster said he remains optimistic, but the last two months have been stressful. He has a wife and two kids, aged 14 and 10.

“They’re at the age where they know something ain’t right,” he said.

“You try to explain to them that the things we have in this country for workers - a 40-hour week, paid vacations - that’s because unions fought for them. Still, there’s a lot of uncertainty, not knowing what’s going to happen.”

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