United Mine Workers UMW

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belated? 10'16
<div>
</div><div>black lung mcconnell chao?!
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===<div>an ME 621</div><div>
<div class="body js-expandable clearfix js-listicle-body css-listicle-body-2653290544"><div class="body-description">For

months now, Sen. Joe Manchin (R-W-Va.) has worked tirelessly to block

Democratic progress by stalling critical voting rights legislation and

efforts to reform the filibuster. While he appears to have no

intention of stopping his show, a number of groups are growing tired of

his antics. According to Truthout, <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/civil-rights-leaders-and-west-virginia-miners-turn-up-the-heat-on-joe-manchin/" target="blank">Manchin recently attended a meeting with civil rights leaders and activists who are fed up with his attempts to block progress.</a> Speaking to Politico on Monday, <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2021/06/08/manchin-comes-face-to-face-with-his-critics-493161" target="blank">NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson explained the reason for the meeting</a>,

which he and representatives of a number of organizations— including

the National Urban League, the National Council of Negro Women, the

NAACP, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights—attended."The

goal of the meeting for us in the civil rights leadership is to

establish and build the relationship," Johnson said. "There was no

particular item on the agenda, but we will have a conversation about our

policy priorities and hopes to open up the dialogue so that we can, in

fact, have the type of give-and-take opportunity to ensure that all

Americans are supported."Despite the efforts to appeal to

Manchin, the lawmaker appears to be resolute in his way of thinking. At

the time, CNN's Manu Raju offered details about the meeting."Meeting

between civil rights activists and Manchin over S1 didn't change his

mind," said Raju. He added, "'I don't think anybody changed positions on

that,' Manchin said, calling the conversation 'constructive.'" Poor People's Campaign co-chair the Rev. William Barber <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/poor-peoples-campaign-plans-moral-march-on-manchin/2021/06/07/bcbe11d4-c7da-11eb-8708-64991f2acf28_story.html" target="_blank">weighed in with The Washington Post</a>. "Even if [Manchin] doesn't change," Barber told The Washington Post,

"we have to bear witness to how his policies are hurting the democracy,

are a form of political and legislative violence, and that he is

standing more on the side of the corporate lobbyists rather than poor

and low-wealth workers and people across this country."
Although very little progress was made, civil rights leaders show no signs of backing down.United

Mine Workers (UMWA) International President Cecil Roberts described

Manchin's actions as "wrong, constitutionally inconsistent, historically

inaccurate, morally indefensible, economically insane, and politically

unacceptable."
"It is wrong for these states to attack the basic rights of citizens to participate in our democracy," <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/06/08/power-up-black-civil-rights-leaders-meet-with-manchin-today/" target="_blank">said</a>

Roberts. "Congress should be doing everything possible to not just

maintain, but expand voting access and create freer and fairer

elections. If only one party is interested in doing that, then so be

it."<div class="around-the-web"><div class="from-your-site__headline">From Your Site Articles</div>

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    </div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><br /></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">===</font></div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">===<br /></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/10/13/were-dying-flies-sick-retired-coal-miners-betrayed-gop-senators</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">the</font></p><p><br />e country must not turn its back on coal miners," right-wing Senate

majority leader Mitch McConnell told constituents in eastern Kentucky

last week.

Yet coal miners—many "facing a slow death" from black lung and other

deadly illnesses from a lifetime of mining coal—say that McConnell and

other Senate Republicans are doing exactly that, the Associated Press <a href="http://wvpublic.org/post/republican-leaders-hesitate-coal-miners-pensions">reports</a>.

McConnell has been repeatedly blocking a bill that would provide a

pension plan and health benefits to about 13,000 retired coal miners in

his home state.

By doing so, McConnell places his allegiance with coal barons, and not their workers.

As coal has declined, the ailing industry has been attempting to

"jettison all pension obligations to miners" while still giving

multi-billion-dollar bonus packages to executives, as Kelly Mitchell of

Greenpeace <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/04/13/4-things-know-about-peabody-energy-bankruptcy">noted</a> earlier this year.

But the legislation in question, the Miners' Protection Act, "would

make certain that union retirees who lost healthcare benefits after the

bankruptcy or insolvency of an employer are eligible for the benefits," <a href="http://www.register-herald.com/news/key-gop-member-lukewarm-to-coal-miners-pension-bill/article_a2048616-19fb-56c6-99a4-e310b8e4f5d2.html">writes</a> West Virginia's Register-Herald.

Because McConnell refused to allow the bill to come to a vote before

the October recess, it will not be considered until after the November

election.

Meanwhile, coal miners are suffering. AP reports:

<blockquote>"We're dying like flies," said Billy Smith, a coal miner

for 39 years who said McConnell's lack of support was difficult to

understand, given all the ailments he sees among his fellow retirees in

his local union.[...] Workers like Joseph Holland, a retired

union coal miner in Owensboro, said the federal government owes them

their pensions and health benefits because of a promise former President

Harry Truman made in the 1940s that ended a costly strike. Holland said

he believes McConnell is punishing the United Mine Workers of America

for endorsing his opponent during the 2014 U.S. Senate race, which

McConnell won easily."He says he supports coal, but you know no evidence that he's supported the coal miner," Holland said. "It's very frustrating."</blockquote>

Moreover, last week "the Patriot Voluntary Employee Beneficial

Association notified about 12,500 retired union coal miners last week

that their health benefits would cease on Dec. 31 without congressional

action," AP writes.

In response, Hillary Clinton issued a <a href="https://www.hillaryclinton.com/briefing/statements/2016/10/12/clinton-to-republicans-stop-playing-politics-with-miners-benefits/">statement</a>

supporting the Miners' Protection Act. "Time is running out for

Republican leadership to stop playing politics and give the Miners

Protection Act a vote," Clinton said. Trump has remained silent on the

issue.

As 350.org U.S. divestment campaign manager Jenny Marienau warned after Peabody Coal <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/04/13/biggest-coal-giant-has-fallen-peabody-files-bankruptcy">declared</a>

bankruptcy in April: "Make no mistake, the fossil fuel industry is

going down, but it won't go down easy. The priority now is to make sure

it doesn't take its workers [and] the communities it has impacted with

it."
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