BY ALYSON KENNEDY
CHICAGO - Members of the United Mine Workers of America
(UMWA) on strike at three coal mines run by Freeman United
Coal Mines continue a determined fight against company
demands to gut medical benefits for retired miners. And they
have begun reaching out to other workers in the region and
winning support.
Goons hired by Freeman have begun provocations and harassment against the pickets at the Crown No. 2 and No. 3 mines, where most of the 350 strikers are employed. One of the tactics they are using is to shine a floodlight at the legal pickets from sundown until sunup.
These guards are from ATR, a subsidiary of Vance Security, and began appearing on Crown mine property September 15. They are guarding all gates and the mine sub power stations, and are moved around frequently.
The bosses at Crown No. 3, located near Farmersville, Illinois, are mining coal. The nonunion trucking outfit Curry Trucking hauls about 45 trucks a day out of the mine.
The company won a court injunction against the UMWA barring "secondary boycotting." The injunction ordered Local 1969 to remove all pickets from the access road to Crown no. 2 mine in Virden, Illinois. Following the injunction, UMWA members who work for the Freesen mining construction company then began entering mine property to do work at the struck mine.
The UMWA locals on strike against Freeman have established an outreach committee to organize speaking engagements. They are also asking UMWA members and others to attend a rally on October 11 in Virden.
Members of UMWA Local 1969 and Local 2488, representing the Crown No. 2 and No. 3 strikers, will speak at the next local meeting of United Auto Workers Local 751, whose members work at Caterpillar in Decatur, Illinois. A collection is also being organized by the Caterpillar local. Strikers have also been invited to speak at the Madison County Federation of Labor in Granite City, Illinois, at the United Steelworkers of America Local 67 headquarters.
On October 11 the Virden Historical Society is sponsoring a commemoration of the 100th year anniversary of the Virden Massacre. In 1898 the Chicago-Virden Coal Company attempted to break the UMWA at Virden Coal Co. They locked out union miners for six months and attempted to bring in Black strikebreakers from Alabama. An armed battle between the company and the strikers took place.
UMWA Local 1969 has gotten involved in helping to publicize the October 11 rally. Miners from central Illinois plan to attend. The UMWA has been invited to speak. Participants will gather at 1:00 p.m. at City Square in downtown Virden and then march.
For more information about the strike or to send donations or arrange for speakers contact: UMWA Strike Headquarters, P.O. Box 107, Farmersville, Illinois 62533. Phone: 217-227- 3233.
Alyson Kennedy is a member of Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Local 7-507.