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Worst mining explosion in two decades kills 25+ miners.

RobsanX

Gods gift to common sense
SUPER Site Supporter
So now that corporations have the same rights as individuals, should Massey Energy Co. be charged with murder?

By LAWRENCE MESSINA and GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writers Lawrence Messina And Greg Bluestein, Associated Press Writers – 1 hr 21 mins ago
MONTCOAL, W.Va. – Two full days after the worst U.S. mining disaster in a generation, dangerous gases underground prevented rescuers late Wednesday from venturing into the Upper Big Branch coal mine to search for any survivors of the explosion that killed at least 25 workers.
Crews drilled holes deep into the ground to release the gases. By evening, a federal safety official said the levels of lethal carbon monoxide and highly explosive hydrogen and methane measured at the top of the holes were steadily dropping. Officials by late evening planned to test levels at the bottom of the holes to determine if three teams of five rescuers each can enter.
"We just can't take any chances" with the lives of rescuers, Kevin Stricklin of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration had said earlier. "If we're going to send a rescue team, we have to say it's safe for them to go in there."
Officials could not say specifically when rescuers might be able to go in, but if the readings at the bottom were good, they want them on the move as soon as possible, Stricklin said.
Stricklin said relatives of the miners backed the decision to hold off for now.
"We've asked the families to be patient," he said earlier in the day.
Gov. Joe Manchin and others saw only a "sliver of hope" that the miners survived by reaching one of the shaft's rescue chambers, which are stocked with food, water and enough oxygen to last four days.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_mine_explosion
 

jpr62902

Jeanclaude Spam Banhammer
SUPER Site Supporter
Wow, Rob. Some miners are still trapped down there and you can't wait to put your political spin on this?

No compassion for the miners' families? I know I feel for them, and am thinking about how I can help. And you?
 

RobsanX

Gods gift to common sense
SUPER Site Supporter
Wow, Rob. Some miners are still trapped down there and you can't wait to put your political spin on this?

No compassion for the miners' families? I know I feel for them, and am thinking about how I can help. And you?

I'm with the miners families' anger over the multiple safety violations in this mine, including two the day of the explosion. Whatever I can do to help prevent this type of tragedy from occurring again, I will do it. I think I'll start with a letter to President Obama asking him to get involved and press the investigation against this mining company.

Nobody should face threat of life and limb simply to feed their family.
 

Tractors4u

Active member
Site Supporter
I think I'll start with a letter to President Obama asking him to get involved and press the investigation against this mining company.

Nobody should face threat of life and limb simply to feed their family.

What about the union? I thought the union was there to make sure the workers had a safe work environment? That's what you've posted in the past.
 

jpr62902

Jeanclaude Spam Banhammer
SUPER Site Supporter
I'm with the miners families' anger over the multiple safety violations in this mine, including two the day of the explosion. Whatever I can do to help prevent this type of tragedy from occurring again, I will do it. I think I'll start with a letter to President Obama asking him to get involved and press the investigation against this mining company.

Nobody should face threat of life and limb simply to feed their family.

I'm sure your letter will be very helpful.
 

RobsanX

Gods gift to common sense
SUPER Site Supporter
What about the union? I thought the union was there to make sure the workers had a safe work environment? That's what you've posted in the past.

That's also a good step. Unfortunately this is a non-union mine.
 

thcri

Gone But Not Forgotten
On the day of the blast, MSHA cited the mine with two safety violations

I would have thought if there had been so many violations in the past and two on the day of the blast that the MSHA would have shut the mine down?
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
You are correct. I looked it up and they are a non union mine. I'm really surprised by that.

May I ask why the fact they are non union surprise you? I live just one state over in Kentucky and most of the coal mines here are non union also.
 

SShepherd

New member
I'm with the miners families' anger over the multiple safety violations in this mine, including two the day of the explosion. Whatever I can do to help prevent this type of tragedy from occurring again, I will do it. I think I'll start with a letter to President Obama asking him to get involved and press the investigation against this mining company.

Nobody should face threat of life and limb simply to feed their family.


well, then just remember to thank your local cops and firemen...oh and soldiers too
 

Tractors4u

Active member
Site Supporter
May I ask why the fact they are non union surprise you? I live just one state over in Kentucky and most of the coal mines here are non union also.

It was just based on an assumption. With the size of the workforce, the type of work, etc. I was looking at the political record of West Virginia and they tend to flip flop on the presidential election. In the last 3 or 4 elections they have voted republican, before that, 3 in a row for a democrat. In their local and state elections they tend to vote democrat. Typically union = democrat, not always, but the majority of the time.
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
No not really at least in my opinion. Unions tend to be in held low standing in southern states, while more important in the north eastern or west coast states. My only guess is due to manufacturing being done more in states with strong unions and not in the south. Now that is just a guess on my part with no data to back it up. It has changed drastically since I belonged to a unions in the late 60's and 70's.
 

Tractors4u

Active member
Site Supporter
We do have unions here, but it probably isn't as strong in the south as the north. Some of the auto plants here are/were union. I work for the government and we have our share of government contractors here that are union, plumbers, millwrights, etc. Because of the laws that the federal government imposes upon itself and the contractors that work for them, the union seems redundant. It's a funny mindset to me, the union mentality that is. A friend of mine that worked for a union company out here was laid off a few years ago. He mentioned being out of work and would say things like, "y'all be praying for me that I get work soon". One day I asked him if he had any job prospects and where he had applied for jobs. He replied, "oh I haven't filled out any job applications, the union will find me something". It's as if they don't work for any particular company, but instead the union.
 

joec

New member
GOLD Site Supporter
Most of the construction trades are hiring halls also, at least when I was working Union. Now if you went out an applied for a job that wasn't your trade then no problems. That was the only way you could qualify for unemployment. If you took a non union job in your trade you would be out of the union. In other words I was a sheet metal worker so when I go laid off we would go to the union. They often had a bunch of jobs but not always. Now I could take a job as a truck driver, store job what ever just no sheet metal work unless through the union. I also couldn't take a non union construction job either how ever anything else was fair game.

Now that is the way it was when I belonged but haven't since '79 when I left the trade. I've never thought about doing sheet metal work since either. So I can't say much about it today as I just don't know. I do know that the money I paid in to retirement through the union I won't get now though, at least according to the letter I received a couple of months ago. That would of amounted to about $500 a month after 17 years in the trade.
 
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