Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, Mr. Richard Stickler was sent a Petition for Rule making on Statutory Rights and Training.
The West Virginia Mine Safety Project, the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, United Support & Memorial for Workplace Fatalities, and the United Mine Workers have petitioned for rights of the miners by providing not only training but yearly refresher courses, neutral trainers, protecting miners from discrimination, and the spelling out of materials and rights so as not to be misconstrued as past laws and regulations have been.
Nathan Fetty, an attorney with the Appalachian Center for the Economy and the Environment.
Stated,
“MSHA needs to beef up its training requirements.” “We’ve represented miners for years when it comes to enforcing workplace safety
rights,..”
Wes Addington, an attorney with the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center. said
“We’ve represented miners for years when it comes to enforcing workplace safety
rights. We’re always struck by how the regulatory scheme is stacked against miners in this respect...If miners got the information that Congress intended in the Mine Act, they would be in a much better position to speak out about unsafe conditions – and get those conditions corrected."
UMWA International Secretary-Treasurer Daniel J. Kane stated,
“The best way for miners to learn about their rights is through safety and health training provided by their local union safety committees and the UMWA Department of Occupational Health and Safety but since not all miners are yet members of the UMWA, we support this effort and join with these organizations in this petition. Miners who work at nonunion mines are not getting the information they are supposed to get. MSHA needs to take this action to ensure that they do."
press release
2 comments:
Let's say that the MSHA actually begins the process of making this rule. Of course, this is not likely. As we have all seen over the last 7 years, MSHA is the world champion of stonewalling, even if the predictable end result is mass fatalities. So pretend that the MSHA decides to do its job. It's anybody's guess what a mess they will make of it. The best example I can think of is a few years ago, at the request of some coal companies in Kentucky, Chao told MSHA to make a rule for unannounced drug testing of coal miners. They didn't even pretend to do any research, but they held about 10 public hearings all over the country, most of them in five-star hotels. The best part was that the MSHA woman who ran the hearings for a long time had a serious problem of stuffing white powder up her nose all day at work. That was the best they could do for something that Sen. McConnell's big money supporters wanted. Then there was that farce of making rules for the Miner Act. All they did was put out a handful of temporary rules that will expire real soon. Don't look for anything of quality to come down the pike for Miner's Statutory Rights and Training.
Well I guess this is all probably true however should we lay in the road for them to just run over us or at least take a running stab at it. We all get discouraged hell you can’t get more let down than the loss of someone but I’ll be dammed if I will just lay down and take it. I’ll go out kicking a screaming and then go back for more. Besides I think one other group just may have them beat at stonewalling…Sister OSHA.
The only way to take the big money supporters is to give them no other chose and that’s going to take a lot of pissed off people but it can be done. So I say get mad as hell and don’t take it any longer. Keep you head up and remember Mark Twains words “All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure.” So lets try not to dwell on missed opportunities and focus on our dreams.
Please keep sending the info because it sure is interesting.
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