The Militant(logo) 
    Vol.60/No.28           August 5, 1996 
 
 
Women Miners Plan Fight For Jobs  

BY ALYSON KENNEDY AND NANCY BOYASKO
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - More than 100 women miners and their supporters gathered here June 21-23 for the 18th National Conference of Women Miners and Supporters sponsored by the Coal Employment Project (CEP). The conference was co-hosted by the Alabama Women Miners Support Group (AWMSG) and endorsed by the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).

Conference participants - who came from across the United States and as far away as Belgium, Canada and Peru - included laid off and working UMWA coal miners, five miners from Tennessee who are members of the International Chemical Workers Union, and several women looking for their first job in the mines.

Rita Lewellyn, a member of UMWA Local 1702 in northern West Virginia, was one of a number of women attending their first conference. "I thought the whole conference was fantastic," she said, "I learned so much at the seminars; I like the strategic plan."

The "Targeting for Jobs - Five Year Strategic Plan" workshop noted the fact that the CEP, founded in 1977, grew out of the fight to win jobs for women in the coal mines. As a result of a sex discrimination complaint that affected 153 coal companies, women miners went from being virtually nonexistent to 4 percent of the workforce by the late 1980s. Today this figure has dropped to less than 1 percent.

The strategic plan document explained, "In the last few years there has been some limited hiring at union and non-union mines in several areas of the country. Indications are that few, if any, women are being hired for these openings." It was reported in the workshop that over the last year CEP activists have challenged the discriminatory hiring practices at a union mine in southern West Virginia, in Eastern Kentucky and in Southwestern Pennsylvania, but no women were hired at these mines.

Building on efforts already underway in several coal field areas, participants approved a nationwide `on target for jobs' campaign "targeting union and nonunion mines that refuse to hire women." The five-year plan also projects developing more and stronger local women miners support groups.

Fight for jobs, safety in mines
More that 60 women responded when AWMSG placed an ad in area papers the week before the conference, soliciting a response from women who want to fight for jobs in the mines. Two attended sessions of the conference and others came by to get more information on the fight for jobs.

Discussion on how to fight for mining jobs was also at the center of two workshops held on affirmative action. There conference participants received information on how they could file government complaints against coal companies that are passing over women in their hiring.

At a workshop on black lung and retirement, participants reported that only 4 percent of those applying for benefits receive compensation before appeals. The workshop on coal mine safety and health discussed company attempts to further erode workplace health and safety. Some companies have implemented bonus programs or disciplinary schemes to discourage miners from reporting accidents. At one mine, workers are resisting by reporting all accidents, down to the smallest scratch.

Conference participants toured the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute on June 22.

Among the keynote speakers who addressed the June 21 and June 22 evening conference sessions were UMWA International vice president Jerry Jones and UMWA District 20 president John Stewart. Carol Zippert, co-publisher of the Greene County Democrat of Alabama, spoke defending affirmative action and denouncing the burning of Black churches across the south.

Special guests Hermelinda Campos and Janet Barzola from the National Committee of Women in Mining Communities of Peru also spoke at the Saturday evening program. They described the impact privatization of the mines has had on mining communities in Peru and reported on the resistance beginning to develop.

McDonnell Douglas striker Lou Gene Hart addressed the conference on behalf of the International Association of Machinists Lodge 837 and set up a display on the strike for conference participants. Hart came with her sister, who is a coal miner.

Three young women, organizers for the United Farm Workers Union, set up a display to win support for the Quincy Farms mushroom workers in Florida.

A member of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union amalgamated Local 4-227 in Houston, Patti Iiyama, brought greetings to the conference on behalf of the locked out Crown Oil workers.

At the Sunday morning plenary session of the conference greetings were sent to the McDonnell Douglas strikers, the locked out members of OCAW Local 4-227, the United Farm Workers members at Quincy Farms, and the National Committee of Women in Mining Communities in Peru.

The plenary session adopted a resolution reaffirming CEP's support and defense of affirmative action. Participants also adopted resolutions proposing to the UMWA negotiating team a return to royalty payments based on tonnage instead of man-hours at mines that produce coal. Royalty payments fund the UMWA health and retirement programs.

Discussion at the business session of the conference centered on the strategic plan and the important role the CEP as an independent organization that has supported the UMWA has played over the years. More than 15 participants addressed the conference in this discussion. Evelyn Luna, a Navajo miner, explained that she still sometimes faces harassment from co- workers and the support of the CEP has been crucial to her continuing work on the job and in the union.

OCAW member Iiyama spoke at the business session expressing appreciation for the discussion on the fight for affirmative action and for women's rights. In April she participated in the 17th congress of the Central Organization of Cuban Workers (CTC) held in Havana, Cuba. She set up a photo display of the trip and invited activists at the conference to attend the international conference on the world economic crisis in Cuba in August 1997.

Many members of CEP have been long time supporters of the Mark Curtis Defense Committee. Curtis recently won release on parole to Illinois. Twenty-six participants signed a letter congratulating him on his release and welcoming him back to the struggle.

Conference participants elected four new members to the board of directors, elected new officers, and scheduled next years' conference to be held in Alberta, Canada.

Alyson Kennedy a member of UMWA Local 1928 works at Jim Walter #3 mine in Adger, Alabama. Nancy Boyasko a member of UMWA Local 1867 is a laid off mine construction worker. Both are members of the Alabama Women Miners Support Group. Mary Zins from Morgantown, West Virginia, contributed to this article.  
 
 
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