The Militant is a central target of C.W. Mining, owner of the Co-Op mine near Huntington, Utah, in its suit against the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), 16 individual coal miners involved since 2003 in the fight to win UMWA representation at the mine, and supporters of the miners’ struggle. The company claims it has been defamed by the union and the miners, and by the Militant, for statements by the embattled workers explaining why they were fighting for better safety conditions and pay, and for the UMWA.

At a February 17 hearing on the case before Federal Judge Dee Benson here, Salt Lake City’s two main dailies—the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret Morning News—were dismissed from the case. At the same time, the judge said he agreed with the company’s attorney that the Militant’s coverage of the Co-Op miners’ struggle was “quantitatively and qualitatively different.” He said he would issue a written ruling at a later date on motions to dismiss the case by the Militant, the UMWA, and the 16 miners.

“We just did a large mailout seeking endorsements and fund-raising for the Militant Fighting Fund,” wrote David Worthington, a retired union officer in Keizer, Oregon. Worthington, who was an early endorser and contributor to the fund, said he mailed information on the labor rights case to 171 union locals and is now doing follow up work.

More endorsements are also coming in from abroad. From Sweden, Militant supporters sent in six new endorsers last week. They include Ingegerd Granat, a prominent local leader of the Center Party in Gothenburg. Several workers at a local meatpacking plant also signed up.

Another six endorsers came in from New Zealand, as well. These included five members of the New Zealand Meat Workers Union from Christchurch, and a delegate for the National Distribution Union at a garment plant in Auckland.

“We urge all Militant readers to endorse, contribute, and help get others to support this fight to defeat a lawsuit by a coal boss aimed at stifling labor opposition to the employers’ attacks on our wages, job conditions, safety, and human dignity and to shut up any paper that dares to tell the workers’ side of the story,” Militant editor Argiris Malapanis said in an interview.

Endorsements and much needed donations can be sent to the Militant Fighting Fund, P.O. Box 520994, Salt Lake City, UT 84152. For mo re materials on the case, including the transcript of the February 17 court hearing, go to www.themilitant.com and click on “Defend Labor Rights.”  
 
 
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