“We are fighting for respect and dignity,” said Sánchez, one of the three women miners at CW Mining, also known as Co-Op. There are no separate locker room or bathroom facilities for the women miners, she explained. She also said it is not uncommon for miners to keep working with fractured arms and legs under conditions imposed by the mine owners. “We have stayed firm for the past four and a half months,” she told the assembled students and others, “and we intend to stay firm, but this will only be possible with the help and solidarity of people like you.” Sánchez earned $5.25 an hour at Co-Op mine separating rock from coal.

“This is not only a fight for the 75 of us or for miners alone. Our strike for union recognition with the United Mine Workers of America is taking up issues that face all working people,” explained Estrada, who earned $5.75 an hour as an underground maintenance worker.

“Safety is an important issue,” said Estrada. “Three of the last six deaths in coal mines in Utah have taken place at Co-Op, and most accidents go unreported. At Co-Op the company makes deductions from your pay if you report an accident or damage equipment.” He added that the federal agency in charge of inspecting mine safety, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), has issued a number of citations against the owners of the mine recently only because numerous miners have provided the agency with testimony on unsafe working conditions and lack of proper mine training.

Rowena Erickson, a former “plural wife” in the Kingston family, applauded the mostly Mexican immigrant miners for “being the ones to finally stand up to the Kingstons and say, ‘this is enough!’”

“The Kingstons exploit their own people as well as Mexican immigrant workers,” Erickson explained, noting that one of the miners to die at the Co-Op mine was Samuel Jenkins, a member of the clan. Jenkins died underground when he was run over by a coal hauler in 1997.

Erickson said the Kingstons would be scared if they found out she is siding with the miners since she knows about their illegal dealings. “They cheat on paying their employees and file fraudulent reports concerning accidents and deaths both in the mine and in their many other enterprises,” she said. Erickson also stated that “the Co-Op mine is the biggest moneymaker” in their $150 million business empire spread across six western states.

The meeting was sponsored by a number of campus organizations and university departments, including the Student Labor Action Project (SLAP), University Not in Our Name, Campus Committee for Peace and Justice, and the university’s economics and social work departments, and the Gender Studies program.

“People are inspired by the strength and resistance that the Co-Op miners have shown,” said Patrick Beecroft of SLAP, the moderator of the meeting. “It’s remarkable how much support we are getting on campus and in the community for the miners.” He reported that more than $400 was raised at the meeting to back the union fight.
 
 
Related articles:
Miners make gains in New Mexico coal strike
After 12-day walkout, workers strengthen union, win higher pay  
 
 
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