The Militant - March 6, 2006 -- On the Picket Line

Vol. 70/No. 9 March 6, 2006

On the Picket Line

Illinois coal miners
conduct one-day walkout
DES MOINES, Iowa—Members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) walked out of two central Illinois coal mines February 16, after a company doctor cleared a miner for work even though his personal physician said he should not. Members of UMWA Local 1969 at the Crown II mine in Virden, Illinois, began the strike and were joined by Local 12 members at the Crown III mine in nearby Girard that night, according to one of the strikers, who requested to not be identified. Both mines are owned by Freeman United Coal. The miners returned to work the following afternoon after the company threatened to seek a court injunction against them.

—Kevin Dwire

ExxonMobil spills oil
in Texas workers’ district
HOUSTON—Working people across from the ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, Texas, want compensation for the release of oily film droplets that blanketed their community January 22. Residents of Archia Courts, a federally subsidized public housing neighborhood, reported hearing sounds like thunder before the release. A 150,000-barrel tank on the refinery’s perimeter became overheated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, spilling thousands of gallons of process gas oil used by the complex’s catalytic cracker units to produce light hydrocarbons. ExxonMobil set a profit record in 2005 of $36.1 billion.

—Amanda Ulman

Related articles:
Tyson closes two Nebraska plants
Germany: public workers strike

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