CEO Of Deadly W. Virginia Mine Is A Union Buster With A History Of Both Safety And Toxic Environment

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/13270

Submitted by Doug Cunningham on April 7, 2010 - 4:05pm
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By Doug Cunningham

Don Blankenship, the CEO in charge of Massey Energy, is an anti-union Republican who uses environmentally destructive mountaintop mining and spends millions to politically defeat unions and their Democratic Party allies. Blankenship’s West Virginia mine where all those miners died routinely draws hundreds of safety violations each year while he pushes for more production so he can enjoy the tens of millions of dollars he takes home each year. UMWA President Cecil Roberts says Blankenship is a fervent union-buster. Blankenship’s Massey Energy also owned the Sago mine where 12 miners were killed in 2006. The New York Times reported in 2006 that Massey Energy had more toxic spills of coal waste than any other company in West Virginia, drawing 4,268 citations from state regulators. Blankenship has spent millions of dollars to elect West Virginia Supreme Court justices friendly to him and his company. In 2008 Blankenship vacationed in the French Riveria with the Chief Justice of the West Virginia Supreme court while a $76 million judgment against Massey Energy was up for a Supreme Court hearing. When the case was finally heard Massey won – with the help of then- acting Chief Justice Brent Benjamin. Blankenship’s company had spent $3.5 million helping Benjamin get elected to the court.

[demosincebirth]

1. Thats exactly why we need the EFCA

[BrklynLiberal]

2. The man is a turd in human clothes.

[RoccoR5955]

3. K & R