ALABAMA

Warrior Met Coal strike enters fourth month amidst reports of vandalism, violence
Updated Jul 01, 2021


Striking Alabama coal miners march in Tuscaloosa County against Warrior Met Coal. The strike began April 1, 2021.

By William Thornton | wthornton@al.com

Members of the United Mine Workers of America say they remain defiant as a strike against Warrior Met Coal enters its fourth month.

At the same time, UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts urged company officials to “get this resolved.”

“If Warrior Met is waiting for our members to quit and run back to work, then the company needs to quit waiting,” Roberts said in a statement. “It’s not going to happen. I know we are going to win this strike, because we are never going to quit.”

About 1,100 workers at Warrior Met Coal have been engaged in a strike against the company since April 1. UMWA members rejected a proposed contract in April, saying that the union had already made significant concessions during its previous contract in pay, benefits, holidays and overtime to keep the company going.

Warrior Met emerged from the bankruptcy proceedings of the former Walter Energy, which declared bankruptcy in 2016.

“What Warrior Met has offered up is just a tiny fraction of what the workers gave up five years ago,” Roberts said. “But these workers are tired of being mistreated on the job. They are tired of being forced to work on holidays and missing time with their families. They are tired of being tired after working 12-hour shifts six and sometimes seven days a week. Warrior Met knows it is exploiting these workers, and its time for it to stop.”

The strike has remained largely peaceful, with large scale rallies in and around the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham areas. However, last month striking miners reported at least three instances of violence along its picket lines. And Warrior Met Coal is offering a $10,000 reward for information on three reported instances of damage to electrical transmission and distribution equipment on the company’s property.

At a Wednesday rally, Roberts said the union has distributed $4.3 million to the strikers during the three months of the strike, with $3.1 million in direct strike benefits, almost $700,000 in health care costs from the UMWA Selective Strike Fund, and $500,000 to members from donations to the Strike Aid Fund.

The union has also seen contributions from other unions, such as $200,000 from the United Food and Commercial Workers.