NYT: "Coal's Power Over Politicians" - Fight Bush for stronger unions!

[Nothing Without Hope]

Those miners in West Virginia should never have gone into that deathtrap mine, and they wouldn't have if the Bush Administration weren't interested ONLY in the corporate management, not the workers. Labor unions are not as strong as they once were, and so these workers had very little protection from corporate greed and carelessness. And they paid with their lives.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/06/opinion/06fri2.html?th&emc=th
Editorial

Coal's Power Over Politicians

Published: January 6, 2006

As inspectors delve into the deadly mine disaster in Sago, W.Va., their starting premise must be that the explosion that choked off 12 workers' lives would never have happened if all the safety rules now on the books had been properly enforced. Mining regulations born of decades of death and disaster dictate in detail the most basic protections for survival, like adequate ventilation and roof supports.

Yet full enforcement was clearly lacking at the Sago mine, with its long record of chronic violations and an injury rate almost triple the average for similar mines. Federal officials claim that the mine was adequately monitored.

But in accounting for the deaths, inspectors should look as well into the budget cutbacks and staff attrition that have marked the Bush administration's management of its own ranks in the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The latest budget imposes a $4.9 million cut for the safety agency, according to Congressional critics who estimate that the agency has suffered a reduction of 170 positions in the past five years.

The ensuing government laxity - and the increasing risks that miners take to get their hard-earned wages - were underlined three years ago by the Government Accountability Office in a study of 10 years of work by the mine safety administration, a period covering the management records of both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. It warned of the looming retirements of qualified inspectors, and the failure to follow up adequately on nearly half of the violations found. Rather than turning this around, the Bush administration's main attention to the coal industry has been to appoint a raft of political appointees directly from energy corporations to critical regulatory posts.

(snip)

Along the same lines, don't miss the interview of James Spadaro, Former director of National Mine Academy, who blames Bush admin. over the Sago Mine disaster. Sean Hannity got more than he bargained for, because this guy told the truth about the reasons why that mine was running with major life-threatening safety and health violations, and he refused to back down:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/01/05.html#a6586

I see a parallel with the Katrina disaster here. Yes, the hurricane could not have been stopped, but in fact a New York Times study has showed that most Katrina victiims did NOT die during the storm but after it, and those deaths could have been prevented by an alert, prepared, involved government that did its job:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5632930
thread title (11/19 GD): NYT reports study of Katrina dead - MOST DIED AFTER THE STORM

Finally, I'd like to take this opportunity to urge media-blasting and Congress-writing in support of enabling stronger labor unions.
From a post at Progressive Independent (http://www.progressiveindependent.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=128&topic_id=184):

Employee Free Choice Act (S.842/H.R.1696)

http://seiuaction.org/campaign/EFCA2005

Some 57 million U.S. workers say they would join a union if they could. But when workers try to gain a union voice on the job, employers respond with intimidation, harassment and retaliation. And our labor laws have become too weak to stop them.

The Employee Free Choice Act would ensure that when a majority of employees in a workplace decide to form a union, they can do so without the obstacles employers use to block their right to have a voice at work.

Please send a message to Congress urging them to co-sponsor the Employee Free Choice Act.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.01696 :
H.R.1696
Title: To amend the National Labor Relations Act to establish an efficient system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Miller, George (introduced 4/19/2005) Cosponsors (207)
Related Bills: S.842
Latest Major Action: 5/9/2005 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN00842 :
S.842
Title: A bill to amend the National Labor Relations Act to establish an efficient system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Kennedy, Edward M. (introduced 4/19/2005) Cosponsors (41)
Related Bills: H.R.1696
Latest Major Action: 4/19/2005 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

[Nothing Without Hope]

1. kick n/t

[sandnsea]

2. They don't believe in government

and this is what happens when Republicans who don't believe in government are in charge. They use it to fill their coffers and exploit the workers. Oh wait, Abramoff said it wasn't about the money, it was just about his belief in the consevative ideology. Yeah right.

[Nothing Without Hope]

3. kick n/t

[stop the bleeding]

4. Great work, K&R!, Also I added a link to this thread, but you may want

to take a look because there is additional information that ties into what you are saying.


Griles = Coal Mining Disaster ---- Read this if you want the truth


Good job!

[Nothing Without Hope]

5. ***The Christian Science Monitor has more - Sago is a "scab mine":

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0106/p01s03-ussc.html
from the January 06, 2006 edition

Sago raises red flags for mine oversight

'Serious and substantial' violations quadrupled at the coal mine last year.
By Mark Clayton and Amanda Paulson | Staff writers of The Christian Science Monitor

(snip)

Taken separately, the number of violations and the variety of issues involved are not particularly troubling, says Mr. McAteer {J. Davitt McAteer, a former official in the Mine Safety and Health Administration}. Indeed, accumulations of coal dust and electrical and ventilation problems are not unusual in coal mines. But taken "as a package," three issues stick out about the violations, McAteer says:
• The number is on the high side for a coal mine of that size.
• A high proportion are substantial.
• The 2005 total was more than triple the 68 tallied in 2004.
Despite this record, the entire mine was never ordered closed for a safety overhaul.

"I've seen other mines with as many or nearly as many violations," McAteer says. "But these are substantial ventilation, roof control, and emergency escape violations. If you look at the direction going, you see both federal and state numbers increasing."

(snip)

Joe McGowan, a longtime Buckhannon, W.Va., resident who's worked coal mines, oil and gas fields, and timber jobs in the past, says he spoke with his friend Junior Hamner, who died in the explosion, just two weeks ago about the dangers. "He said it's nothing but a walking time bomb," says Mr. McGowan, in a measured drawl. "He told me, 'They're going to kill us all.' "

McGowan, like many former miners in these parts, is skeptical of the safety record of "scab," or nonunion mines, where employees have less recourse to complain about oversights. The Sago Mine, he says, was notorious for its large buildups of methane, one reason the mine had changed hands frequently in the past and a previous mine at the site had been abandoned.

(snip)

Addressing safety violations takes money and time, and of course that eats into the company's profits. With lax law enforcement and no protection from a labor union, the workers face a difficult choice - keep working under the dangerous conditions, or else try to find other scarce jobs that pay less well and may be farther from home. It's a trap.

[ohio_liberal]

6. K & R

Thanks for this very informative post. :thumbsup:

[ohio_liberal]

7. Just read the C & L Hannity transcript----

I wish someone had the video of this. Mr Spadaro lays the blame where it should be. The coal mining company and the Bush administration are to blame, no doubt about it.

[Nothing Without Hope]

8. The video may yet appear in the C & L entry - he's going to try again

so it's worth checking back there later today. Someone may also post a video in the comment thread - there are already over 240 comments there and I have not read them.

[Nothing Without Hope]

9. ***More from Think Progress, including from Spadaro:

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/01/05/mine-inspectors
Posted by Faiz January 5, 2006 11:18 am

Mine Inspectors Questioned Administration’s Commitment To Mine Safety

The Bush administration has announced (http://safety.blr.com/display.cfm/id/100463) that they will begin an investigation into the events surrounding the Sago coal-mine incident, an investigation that should explore the administration’s record on mine safety (http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-miners5jan05,0,3814124.story?coll=la-news-comment-editorials).

The Labor Department denies (http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_3372457) that budget cuts and staff reductions under President Bush have hindered the ability of the department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration to ensure coal-mine safety. But Jack Spadaro, a former mine safety investigator (http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0501.bingham.html), claims that mine inspectors raised concerns before Sago about the disastrous consequences that might result from the Labor Department’s unwillingness to enforce safety regulations (http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/13554530.htm):

Jack Spadaro, former director of the MSHA National Mine Safety Academy, said inspectors told him privately that Labor Department opposition to vigorous safety regulation has hindered their work.

“Two weeks before this explosion, I was told by an inspector, ‘Jack, there’s going to be another disaster because we can’t do our jobs,’ ” he said in an interview.

(snip)

This is not to suggest the administration’s budget cuts caused the West Virginia accident, nor is it the president’s fault that an explosion occurred. But there is a legitimate question as to whether future mining accidents can be prevented through greater enforcement of mining safety regulations and whether the Bush administration is doing all it can in this area.

(snip - updates and over 150 comments)

[rodeodance]

10. and msnbc still talking of the cruise murder-over and over!

[rodeodance]

11. recomended

[Nothing Without Hope]

12. ***A portion of the Hannity/Colmes/Spadaro interview:

This is the interview that was mentioned in the opening post. Jack Spadaro is the former director of the National Mining Academy, so he knows what he is tallking about and has watched the industry for a long time. Read the whole thing - here's an excerpt:

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/01/05.html#a6586
(snip)

SPADARO: This mine should have been closed. And there were too many serious violations. And the record is very clear.

COLMES: Why was it open then? If you, as a safety expert, feels it should not have been, why was it open?

SPADARO: I think it's because of the current Bush administration's policies toward mine operators and their reluctance to take the strong enforcement action that's sometimes necessary. And that often involves closing a mine.

SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: Jack, let's not politicize this! I mean, already, what do you want, to blame George Bush with this? Is that where you're headed with this political question? I don't think this is the time to go into that.
There certainly are issues. This mine was cited for over 200 violations, 46 during an 11-week period late in the year. They've been fined thousands of dollars. But I can't see an instance where it was recommended that they close it.

SPADARO: Well, actually, there were three orders to close portions of the mine that were issued in the October to the December period. And there has been a significant change since the Bush administration took over, the enforcement of mine safety and health.
And I can speak to that, because I worked in the agency, and I talk with people every day who tell me that, in recent years, and particularly in recent months, there's been a reluctance on the part of the top management at the Mine Safety and Health Administration...

(snip)

[Nothing Without Hope]

13. ***Additional info on this at MyDD, including some responses to

RW spin. THere was an earlier story and now there is a followup that shows among other things just how little the company was required to pay in fines relative to the money produced by the minining operation:

http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/1/5/143947/4332
Republicans :: Thu Jan 5th, 2006 at 02:40:27 PM EDT
The Sago Mines: Negligence by the Republicans
by Matt Stoller

(snip)

The Sago mine generated $15.7 million (http://www.volunteertv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4309767) through the third quarter for the International Coal Group. The company has been fined $24,000 through 2005, and has paid $14,500 of that. It's pretty obvious that failing to ensure the safety of their workers is profitable for the International Coal Group.

(snip)

That's the reality of the Republican leadership. And let me just offer, to all principled conservatives out there, you may one day need the protection of the legal and political system against a large employer that has invested in political corruption, as the mining companies did. Keep that in mind. Acts of God happen, there's no doubt, but we have means in modern America to prepare for them and mollify their consequences. Let's not forget in reflexively defending a President who fails in his job. There will be other Republican Presidents in the future, and your credibility is on the line here with those people who will have to face the legacy of Bush every day of their Presidency.

[Nothing Without Hope]

14. I'm leaving for many hours, would appreciate a few kicks

(the thread, not me) ;)

...and thanks for your support.

[stop the bleeding]

15. I will be here all day - no sweat - see ya in a bit!

[stop the bleeding]

18. .

:kick:

[Nothing Without Hope]

22. thanks for kicking the thread while I was away

:hi:

[stop the bleeding]

23. no sweat

wait was that kick??

:yourock:

[ohio_liberal]

16. Kick

:kick:

[sweetheart]

17. look at who actually did the union busting

http://brickburner.blogs.com/my_weblog/

I'm afraid this is a bad issue for a partisan, or rather
"more" evidence that the DLC dems are republicans.

[Time for change]

19. I agree about the parallels with Katrina

Anything this administration can to to help its greedy corporate friends it will do -- no matter how many lives it costs or how badly it hurts our country.

[ohio_liberal]

20. Kicking one more time

:kick:

[stop the bleeding]

21. kicking for awareness - DU still does not get it yet. n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

24. This isn't just about the suffering families in W Va - this demonstrates

what happens on every level when the protection and enforcement functions of the government are destroyed: the time of the robber barons and workers helpless to speak out or improve their conditions returns. This government has shown in every conceivable way that it is firmly on the side of the robber barons. This terrible tragedy shows once more the price that is paid for this blind greed of the politicians and lack of outrage of the public.

[Nothing Without Hope]

25. kick n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

26. kick n/t

[stop the bleeding]

27. from the LBN section of DU

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2026455

[Nothing Without Hope]

28. Thanks. This is the CS Monitor article I posted upthread here in REply #5

Here's the link to this upthread post:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=65231&mesg_id=65523

It's really too bad that threads that have assembled information fall off the Greatest Page and then the wheel has to be invented again and again. It's the biggest weakness of the DU format, and it's a major one.

But thanks for the link - at least we can know where the discussion went. I hope there is a cross-link to this thread in the LBN thread, because there are other articles linked to here that may not be there.

[Nothing Without Hope]

29. kick - we MUST have stronger unions to protect workers n/t