Striking Mineworkers and Supporters Bring Their Fight Back to NYC

More than a thousand United Mine Workers of America members and supporters have once again carried their ongoing strike against Alabama’s Warrior Met Coal to New York City. The group picketed the Manhattan offices of BlackRock, an investment management corporation that is the world’s largest asset manager, on Wednesday morning.

BlackRock is the largest shareholder in Warrior Met Coal, the Alabama company the UMWA has been on strike against since April 1. Union members and allies from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and New York, including the NYC CLC and many local unions, joined in the show of solidarity as the strike looks to stretch into its fifth month. About 1,100 miners have been striking for better pay and benefits.

The current agreement with the union was negotiated as Warrior Met emerged from the bankruptcy proceedings of the former Walter Energy, which declared bankruptcy in 2016. Union members made numerous concessions in pay, benefits, holidays, overtime and in other areas to keep the company going and get it out of bankruptcy – concessions totalling more than $1.1 billion. Warrior Met produces coal used in steel production in Asia, Europe and South America.

“We’re in New York City because we are simply following the money, and demanding that those who created that wealth, the miners, get their fair share of it,” said UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts. Check out video from the rally, here, and here!