by James Parks, Aug 7, 2007

While rescue workers in Utah are continuing their efforts to reach six coal miners trapped yesterday more than 1,500 feet underground, the mine’s owner took time out to rant against the unions that work to promote mine safety.

Crews worked through the night in shifts at the Genwal mine, also called the Crandall Canyon Mine, near Huntington about 140 miles south of Salt Lake City. The mine is a nonunion operation owned by Utah American Energy.

In a morning press conference, Bob Murray, CEO of Murray Energy, the parent company of Utah American, attacked the United Mine Workers and several of their leaders by name, saying the press should not believe anything they say about the disaster.

UMWA President Cecil Roberts said Murray should be focusing on the rescue effort:

 It is very unfortunate that at a time when six miners remain trapped underground and rescuers, including members of the UMWA, are risking their lives to find them, Mr. Murray has chosen to take time away from his urgent responsibilities to conduct himself in this manner. 

We agree with the federal authorities that the number one priority right now must be the rescue of the trapped miners. A formal and comprehensive investigation will be required to answer questions about what took place at the Crandall Canyon Mine. 

This is not the first time Murray has attacked those who support worker safety. During an interview with Fox News in May, Murray responded to a comment from presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who asked a crowd whether they were ready for a president who is “pro-labor and will appoint people who actually care about workers’ rights and workers’ safety.”

The Salt Lake Tribune reports this exchange between Murray and Fox News’ Neil Cavuto: 

“Bob, do you view this rhetoric as pro-labor, anti-business, what?” Cavuto asked Murray.

“Absolutely not,” Murray responded. “I view it as anti-American. These people should—are misleading the American worker then they talk about jobs. These are the people advocating draconian global warming conditions that are going to drive American jobs to foreign countries and raise electric rates for everybody on fixed incomes.”

Murray continued that he found it contradictory that union people are supporting Democratic candidates “who are advocating environmental and other regulations that will actually drive jobs out of this country. And the American people should not be bamboozled by this.”

During the press conference this morning,  Murray also responded angrily to a question  about the type of mining that the men were performing when the mine collapsed:  

Retreat mining had absolutely nothing to do with the disaster that happened here, nor was there any retreat mining happening at the time of the disaster. 

Murray said the term is only being used because of “lackeys” from the UMWA who want to organize his workforce and “want to damage Murray Energy, Utah American and the United States coal industry for their own motives.” 

The Washington Post reported that the mine collapse happened while miners were engaged in a method called “retreat mining” in which pillars of coal are used to hold up an area of the mine’s roof. When that area is completely mined, the company pulls the pillar and grabs the useful coal, causing an intentional collapse.

 The Associated Press reports that government mine inspectors have issued 325 citations against the mine since January 2004. Of those, 116 were what the government considered “significant and substantial,” meaning they are likely to cause injury. 

Following a deadly year in the mines in 2006, when 47 workers were killed, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports that 10 miners have died on the job so far this year. 

With last year’s death toll the highest since 1996, Congress passed the first major mine safety legislation in more than three decades. While the UMWA and other mine safety advocates call the MINER Act a good first step to shoring up mine safety, they say much more needs to be done.

Safety legislation introduced in June would improve emergency response plans, greatly strengthen federal enforcement of safety and health rules and reduce coal miners’ exposure to black lung-causing coal dust. 

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