The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.62/No.45           December 14, 1998 
 
 
Striking Coal Miners Expand Picket Lines -- UMWA members defy Freeman's ultimatum  

BY CAPPY KIDD AND BETSEY STONE
FARMERSVILLE, Illinois - One hundred seventy striking miners turned out for expanded picket lines at midnight and in the early morning of November 30 in front of two mines owned by Freeman United Coal Company in central Illinois.

They were responding to a personalized letter sent to every miner by company president Walter Gregory ordering them back to work on their regularly scheduled shifts on November 30 at 12:01 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. or face replacement.

Members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Locals l969, 12, and 2488 struck Freeman's three mines September 11 after the company refused to continue health benefits for retirees. Freeman is a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corp.

The night of the expanded pickets, miners and members of the women's auxiliary, most of them dressed in camouflage, gathered at strike headquarters where they were organized into vans by Local l969 president Greg Mahan.

At the Crown 3 mine, pickets gathered on both sides of the road. On one side was the picket shack. On the other, an intense spotlight atop a 30-foot tower illuminated the mine roadway entrance. Agents from Vance, the notorious strike- breaking agency providing "security" thugs to employers involved in disputes with their workforce, photographed and videotaped the strikers.

Almost every car and truck that passed on the main road honked in solidarity. Miners responded with cheers and thumbs up. At the morning picket, union songs were played over a boom box.

Pickets jeered as a few trucks of coal emerged from the mine entrance. Miners explained that some company bosses, as well as contractors, are working in the mine. The other two mines are not operating.

Steve Norman, a miner for 22 years at the Crown 2 mine, commented on why the show of force was called at precisely the time they were ordered back to work: "We're saying, here we are. We want a contract. And until we get one, we're staying outside."

In recent weeks the company has escalated attacks on the union. Company negotiators are pressing the UMWA to give up seniority rights in job bidding and for recalling miners from layoff.

On November l7 the company filed a million-dollar lawsuit against the UMWA International and the three striking locals. Freeman challenged the union's basic right to strike and charged the strikers with violent acts, including "assaulting persons," "damaging the property of Freeman," and "physical obstruction of public and private roads."

The company and police agencies have continued to harass and try to intimidate miners and their families. On the night of the expanded pickets, a helicopter passed over the home of striking miner David Yard five times. It hovered so close as to rattle windows. Yard is a member of Local l969 and a trustee on the UMWA's Miner's Relief Fund.

FBI agents had showed up at the home of Georgia Yard, David's grandmother, November 6, demanding to search a tool shed on her property. When she demanded to see their search warrant, the federal agents left only to return three days later with the warrant. They found nothing and were told to leave.

The miners publicly opposed this attack on the strike and one of their members, passing out leaflets describing the FBI harassment and sending letters to the editors of newspapers in the area. The local press has given prominent coverage to the FBI visit.

"The company is definitely upping the ante," Steve Norman explained. "As we started zeroing in on the health-care issue and it looked liked we were approaching an agreement, then they came in with the attack on seniority."

David Yard commented, "By raising seniority they show they have no intention of resolving things. They know we can never accept the attack on seniority."

The UMWA International is preparing to file an unfair labor practice charge against Freeman United claiming the company is bypassing the union and unlawfully dealing directly with the striking employees.

In a November 24 union press release UMWA international president Cecil Roberts reiterated the goal of reaching an agreement that "continues to guarantee each and every worker and retiree health-care coverage for life - and a promise that their seniority rights will remain intact."

George Hobson, a member of the union safety committee who has worked for 21 years at Crown 2, was one of many who explained why the miners will not back down.

"Seniority is something that we've fought for over the years. It's basic. Blood has been shed over this."

He and others explained that if you don't have a system of job bidding by seniority, union fighters and outspoken workers will be victimized in hiring, layoffs, and job assignments.

The seniority system also helps prevent the company from dividing workers by playing favorites.

"Freeman has always played the divide and conquer game, pitting the three locals against each other," Hobson said. "This strike has brought all the union brothers closer together. We meet each other on these picket lines and learn the truth about the rumors we heard about each other."

Solidarity and donations to the strike continue to come in from union locals around the country. More is needed. The striking UMWA locals are organizing a Christmas dance on December 12 for strikers and supporters and a December 20 Christmas party for the children of striking miners.

For information about the strike, to request a speaker from the striking miners, or to make a contribution to the food pantry or Miners' Relief Fund, contact the UMWA Strike Headquarters, P.O. Box 107, Farmersville, Illinois, 62533 or call (217) 227-3233.

Cappy Kidd is a member of United Auto Workers. Betsey Stone is a member of the International Association of Machinists.

 
 
 
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