In fact, the organization of western coal has begun, she said.

“There is significant hiring taking place at every mine around Price—union and nonunion alike. The Consol Emery mine has reopened constituting the second union mine in the area,” said Monroe.

“These developments, together with the advances in the struggle of Co-Op miners in Huntington, Utah, for union representation, are breathing new life into the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA),” she continued. (See front-page article.)

“This new reality is beginning to transform the possibilities to build and strengthen the UMWA in the region,” Monroe said.

Socialist workers in coal mines met here November 13-14 to discuss these developments and to organize to throw themselves wholeheartedly into the expanding unionization effort. “We don’t know how long this period will last, but how we act now is decisive,” Socialist Workers Party leader Róger Calero said.  
 
Hiring, push to get into union mines
At the same time, miners in the Price area are taking advantage of one of the biggest hiring booms in three decades, as the coal bosses are expanding production because of increased demand for coal worldwide and higher coal prices. The number of union miners has grown.

Price is the center of underground mining in the West, with 10 mines currently working in the surrounding counties, and another two scheduled to open within the next year.

Hundreds of workers at nonunion mines are putting in applications at the unionized Consol Emery and Energy West Deer Creek mines. According to several miners, one coal company, Andalex Resources, recently raised the pay of all miners at their three facilities by more than $1 an hour to nearly $23 an hour. This is above average union scale. The bosses are trying to stem the flow of experienced workers leaving to get into the union mines. Even with lower pay, union mines are more attractive to workers because of their reputation for better safety standards, benefits, and work schedules.

“There is a real change in confidence among miners due to the hiring,” Shirley Burton reported. “A guy I met several times while applying for jobs at a couple of mines recently got hired. After a long period of looking with no success, you can see the confidence he has now knowing that he got the job and could get one somewhere else.”  
 
Becoming skilled miners
In response to these developments, socialist miners said they are organizing to develop and expand their mining skills in order to have maximum flexibility and mobility to join the developing struggles in the coalfields.

Price miner Lynn Birwood reported that “bosses are looking for miners with certain skills—like roof bolters.”

John Delaney, a miner from the Price area, noted that having more skills “puts you in a better position on the job. Skilled workers have more authority, that’s how it works.”

Tony Lane, a miner from the Pittsburgh area, said that the socialist miners seek to become competent in as many skills as possible. He noted that “the newest miners at the meeting showed the greatest hunger for learning new skills. We need to broaden this out, make it universal.”

Responding to these opportunities the socialist movement is organizing to expand its work among coal miners and other working people in the West. Coal miners at the meeting enthusiastically adopted this course of action and have begun implementing it.
 
 
Related articles:
Labor board: Mine bosses’ relatives can’t vote in union election in Utah
UMWA: ‘Significant victory’ in fight for union at Co-Op mine  
 
 
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