If you believe the UMWA cares about coal mining, you're a fool.

[Jeremy TK Farley]

The United Mine Workers of America still hasn't taken endorsing Obama off the table...

How in the world can any person connected to the coal industry justify supporting them or the Democratic Party? You people are being played.

http://jeremyfarley.com/wake-up-stupid-people...

[yep]

Jeremy TK Farley wrote:

The United Mine Workers of America still hasn't taken endorsing Obama off the table...

How in the world can any person connected to the coal industry justify supporting them or the Democratic Party? You people are being played.

http://jeremyfarley.com/wake-up-stupid-people...

You are 100% right they wouldn't even support spruce #1

[Amherst Phil]

While I agree the UMWA has not done its best for the Miners, to think that you can work without a Union is pure stupidity. I've worked with both sides. Union and Company. They need each other to survive. Right now gas is cheaper so many power plants are switching over. The best thing we can do is bring back our industrial base from overseas. That way we can use our own coal instead of selling it overseas.

[Amen]

Yes sir. 100% true.

[wtf]

Amherst Phil wrote:

While I agree the UMWA has not done its best for the Miners, to think that you can work without a Union is pure stupidity. I've worked with both sides. Union and Company. They need each other to survive. Right now gas is cheaper so many power plants are switching over. The best thing we can do is bring back our industrial base from overseas. That way we can use our own coal instead of selling it overseas.

Are you kidding me??? When has a company ever needed a union to survive?? The only thing a union does is protect lazy and incompetent employees from losing their jobs. The union is only concerned with the cash flow that union dues provide. And for the UMWA to even consider supporting a candidate that is so anti-coal as Obama is just as stupid as your statement that a company needs the union to survive.

[Sarah]

I agree, the UMWA WAS stupid for supporting OBAMA the first time. It would not suprise me if they did it again. I new the last time he was against coal, why didn't the union coal miners know it. They let Cecil Roberts tell them what to do and all he cares about is the Union dues.Nick Rahall is another one they need to get rid of,Iam only going to vote for Republicans this time, because the Democrats don't seem to care about coal. If they do, they waited too long show it. I urge everybody to vote for Bill Maloney,he cares about coal. Earl Ray wouldn't care if he didn't have someone running against him.

[Amherst Phil]

wtf wrote:

<quoted text>
Are you kidding me??? When has a company ever needed a union to survive?? The only thing a union does is protect lazy and incompetent employees from losing their jobs. The union is only concerned with the cash flow that union dues provide. And for the UMWA to even consider supporting a candidate that is so anti-coal as Obama is just as stupid as your statement that a company needs the union to survive.

Dude you are obviously delirious. Companies need Unions to talk to the employees. Employees need the Union to talk to the companies. You need to grow up and understand how the real world works. I knew you would throw Obama in the mix. Like I said the coal burning plants are switching to gas because it is cheaper. Once again, "WE NEED TO BRING BACK OUR INDUSTRIAL BASE" from foreign countries. Have a nice day "Butt Wipe".

[wtf]

Amherst Phil wrote:

<quoted text>Dude you are obviously delirious. Companies need Unions to talk to the employees. Employees need the Union to talk to the companies. You need to grow up and understand how the real world works. I knew you would throw Obama in the mix. Like I said the coal burning plants are switching to gas because it is cheaper. Once again, "WE NEED TO BRING BACK OUR INDUSTRIAL BASE" from foreign countries. Have a nice day "Butt Wipe".

Give me one good reason why companies "need" the union to talk to its employees. I work for a company who has both union and non union operations. I have been a manager in each. In my experience the relationship between the company and its employees was much better in the non union operation. I never needed a Business Agent or a union steward to help me talk to my employees in my non union operation. I find it amazing that hard working men and women PAY the unions to "talk" for them. Go to work, do your job, think and speak for yourself...then you shouldn't need the union for anything. I can tell by your childish "butt wipe" remark that you are probably someone who pays someone else to talk for you.

[Amen]

GM was union, Toyota was not. Which company was doing so badly they had to be taken over by the federal government.

Yes, there was a time when miners needed a union, but the days of Matewan are long passed.

As the article states, today's UMWA does nothing more than profit by exploiting the very same people they were founded to protect.

Any person who would justify the UMWA or today's DNC is either corrupt or a complete idiot.

[Sally]

Did any of you Union Busters watch Matewan? That's what you get without a Union. Does anyone remember the Blair Mountain Battle? Gees how quickly we forget. Divide and conquer.

[Amen]

Amherst Phil wrote:

<quoted text>Companies need Unions to talk to the employees. Employees need the Union to talk to the companies... Once again, "WE NEED TO BRING BACK OUR INDUSTRIAL BASE" from foreign countries. Have a nice day "Butt Wipe".

For starters, I have never worked for a union company my entire life and have had no problem communicating with my employer.

In todays economy, unions are nothing more than an extra hand scraping around in the bucket of money that rightfully belongs to corporations and employees.

Also, have you ever asked yourself why this country lost its industrial base? You will find that unions discourage industries coming to America rather than encourage them.

[Amen]

Sally wrote:

Did any of you Union Busters watch Matewan? That's what you get without a Union. Does anyone remember the Blair Mountain Battle? Gees how quickly we forget. Divide and conquer.

Unions were necessary in the days of Matewan, but that was a different time period altogether.

100 years later your union doesn't care a thing about you and is actually on the verge of putting your employers out of business.

To say that if we didn't have the UMWA things would go back to the days of scrip and company houses is absurd and only shows a person's ignorance. These said we have OSHA and ten thousand other acronyms that wouldn't let it even get close to that point.

I challenge anyone reading this who is pro union to give me one example of a modern day Matewan / Blair Mtn. because there is no union. You won't, but the Democratic party and its union lapdogs have stupid people living in fear, all the while theyre robbing you blind and taking away the only industry your impoverished community has.

But my living doesn't depend upon coal in anyway, so believe their lie if you want, butt consider yourself warned.

[Sally]

Has anyone in this group ever heard of history repeating itself? If we don't learn from our history we are doomed to make the same mistakes. Of course theirs no modern day Matewan. That's because we have a Union.

[JeremyTKFarley]

Sally wrote:

Has anyone in this group ever heard of history repeating itself? If we don't learn from our history we are doomed to make the same mistakes. Of course theirs no modern day Matewan. That's because we have a Union.

Did you even read the article? History is already repeating itself - West Virginia coal miners are getting screwed by outside sources in bed with the government (as was the case back in the days of the "rednecks" and those on Blair Mountain).

Only this time, the outside source is the union commissioned to protect them.

There is absolutely no justification for the union endorsing Obama last time around and there certainly is no justification for them not coming out against him with all their might this time around.

The UMWA has absolutely nothing to do with preventing a modern day Matewan. The overwhelming majority of Americans are non union workers and I, you, or anyone else cannot give a single instance of a modern day Matewan / Blair Mtn. in these non-union companies.

It's time the people of Southern West Virginia wake up and realize that times have changed. Both the Democratic Party and the UMWA, once great organizations which stood in your defense, are now nothing more than an enemy to everything you stand for.

Sadly, most people will not accept this truth and as a result your region will be experiencing +20% unemployment very soon.

[Sally]

As I explained of course we don't have a modern day Matewan and Blair Mountain. That's because we have Unions. The other thing is this State sadly voted Republican in the last three elections. George Bush and Dick Cheney broke this country and put us in two wars. Remember the bank failure was on their watch. Also the power plants are switching over to gas because it cheaper. Lastly, show me a rich coal miner. Now show me a rich coal operator. The name of Don Blankenship comes to mind but he is not the only one.

[wtf]

Sally...the reason why we do not have modern day Matewan is because of MSHA. Granted, as recently as the 80s the union had its place in industry. However, with agencies such as MSHA and OSHA as the watchdogs for employees safety, the Unions have become as obsolete as the bag phone. Furthermore, the coal miners today make a great wage along with great benefits. If I'm not mistaken, the non-union miner makes more than the prevailing wages for union workers. And for you to be so naive to think that the coal industry is the only business where the owners/CEOs make more than the frontline employees, then you, my dear have your head in the clouds.

[compcarp]

My union wake up call was years ago when they went on strike against Ravenswood Steel over minute changes.

When the company suffered and closed it's doors, the UNION declared VICTORY.

Excuse me? What about all those people out of work?

I agree, they HAD their purpose, but they have squandered their role and outlived their usefulness.

[yep]

Amherst Phil wrote:

<quoted text>Dude you are obviously delirious. Companies need Unions to talk to the employees. Employees need the Union to talk to the companies. You need to grow up and understand how the real world works. I knew you would throw Obama in the mix. Like I said the coal burning plants are switching to gas because it is cheaper. Once again, "WE NEED TO BRING BACK OUR INDUSTRIAL BASE" from foreign countries. Have a nice day "Butt Wipe".

No gas is cheaper for the companies to burn because of Obama has so many regulations on coal fired plants that's why they are switching to gas and that's what he said he would do make it so expensive that they would have to go greener ( butt wipe)

[JeremyTKFarley]

yep wrote:

<quoted text>
No gas is cheaper for the companies to burn because of Obama has so many regulations on coal fired plants that's why they are switching to gas and that's what he said he would do make it so expensive that they would have to go greener ( butt wipe)

You're right... Obama has went on the record saying, "Under my plan, electricity prices will necessary skyrocket." doing exactly what you said,(placing so many regulations on coal fired plants until it is more affordable to "go green")

I don't live in West Virginia and frankly have "no dog in the fight" so other than my electricity prices "sky rocketing" all of this means very little to me personally, but being one who is very familiar with Logan / Mingo Counties and having a special place in my heart for the region I hate to see so many people who are fooled into believing that the UMWA / Democrats are their friends... Anyone with any sense at all knows that these two organizations are playing the coal miners for fools.

[JeremyTKFarley]

*necessarily