Coal Miners Protest for Protections
Cecil E. Roberts stands before members of the United Mine Workers of America and demands stricter regulations to protect workers. (Photo via Tadhg Beale)
TADHG BEALE: Fed up with the Trump administration’s unwillingness to enforce safety regulations aimed at preventing the development of black lung disease, the National Black Lung Association, with the support of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), organized a protest on October 14 in front of the Department of Labor in Washington, DC, calling for federal safety protections for coal miners across the nation.
Black lung disease (or coal worker’s pneumoconiosis) is a disease caused by exposure to coal dust particles, causing shortness of breath, and chest tightness, which can also lead to greater health complications such as lung disease or heart failure. The disease is incurable and typically results in premature death.
Thanks in large part to the work of the UMWA, federal policies to prevent black lung have been in place since 1969 when Congress passed the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act. After the passage of this act, the federal government has continued to provide coal miners with regulations aimed at securing their health and compensating them with benefits if their health is compromised.
As a result of these federal regulations, the number of black lung cases was on a steady decline for decades. However, the disease has begun to reemerge due to miners being exposed to more silica dust than ever. Silica dust, which is twenty-times more toxic than coal dust, is produced by slicing through rock, which miners are having to do more frequently as coal deposits are becoming harder to find.
This April, a limitation was set to take effect which would dictate the amount of silica dust that miners can be exposed to, but a suit filed by the National Sand Stone and Gravel Association and the National Mining Association stopped the limitation from taking effect. The Trump administration, which has long been a promoter of the coal industry, agreed with the courts to delay the enforcement of the regulations.
Trump’s inaction in this matter has come at the disappointment of many of the miners and their family.
Vonda Robinson, who is vice president of the National Black Lung Association and opened up the speeches at the protest, pointed to the hypocrisy of Trump's campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” She emphasized that unless Trump got behind the coal miners, there would be no coal industry.
Robinson also expressed her sorrow, and how disheartening it is to see so many young men, many not even in their thirties, contract black lung. This sentiment was echoed by many of the speakers who followed.
With tears in his eyes, Gary Hairston, president of the National Black Lung Association, spoke about how many of these young men are not even able to collect black lung benefits as they were unable to work the amount of time needed to be eligible. Even if these men are able to collect the benefits, which range from $785 to $1,571 per month depending on how many dependents the worker has, they are simply not enough to live off of.
Hairston ended his impassioned speech by crying out to Congress for stricter regulations and greater compensation for those impacted by the disease.
To end the protest, Cecil E. Roberts, president of the UMWA, criticized Trump and the government for siding with the corporations. Roberts asked that the government “see us” in the same light that they see rich people, and demanded that they, “Make democracy work for us today, tomorrow and next week.”
Despite many of the leaders who criticized President Trump and Vice President Vance for their lack of action, they all still seemed to have faith in this administration. Roberts even had praise for Trump for his role in creating peace abroad and he reminded the crowd that it was Trump who signed their pensions and healthcare into law.
Despite Trump taking the side of the corporations, the coal miners of America seem to be resolutely standing by the Trump administration, and hope their faith in the President will be rewarded.
Tadhg Beale is a staff writer for the U.S. News sections of On the Record. He is a freshman in The College and studies government and economics.