Roberts: Mine Workers Won’t Fall for NRA Tricks

by Seth Michaels, Sep 25, 2008

A West Virginia mining company has come under fire for trying to drive a wedge between coal miners and Sen. Barack Obama, who won the endorsement of the Mine Workers (UMWA) for his pro-worker views.

Consol, the mining company, allowed a camera crew from the National Rifle Association (NRA) on their property at a mine in Blacksville, on the West Virginia-Pennsylvania border. Miners say the crew asked misleading questions about Obama’s record on gun ownership. UMWA President Cecil Roberts said he was disappointed that Consol allowed the NRA to twist facts about Obama’s records and proposals.

The UMWA is considering a brief work stoppage next week to protest Consol’s actions, Roberts says. 

They were trying to get the miners on camera to say they would not vote for Sen. Barack Obama if indeed he was opposed to protecting their Second Amendment rights, and they tried to lead them into saying that. 

The NRA is wrong to claim Obama opposes the Second Amendment. (In fact, Obama strongly supports the Second Amendment right of individuals to bear arms and is committed to protecting fish and wildlife habitats and expanding access to hunting and fishing spots.) The organization is carrying out a nationwide campaign attacking Obama, hoping to distract voters from the serious economic issues in this campaign. Roberts says the NRA’s tactics won’t affect workers who know that their jobs, retirement security, health care and freedom to form unions is what really matters this fall. 

So what we have here is the same thing that we’ve seen a lot of across the country—the need to talk about something that is irrelevant, or misleading folks into believing someone is for something they are not. 

Miners at the Consol site didn’t fall for the NRA’s scheme. Kenny Foyles, a UMWA member, was one of the miners who the NRA tried to film. 

They wanted me to bash Obama. I told them my only concern was if Barack Obama doesn’t win the election.

Jim Toothman, another miner, was asked by his manager to speak to the NRA camera crew. Toothman said the camera operator tried to coach him and his fellow workers into anti-Obama statements.

She tried to lead me into how to word the answers. I ended the conversation about that point.

Roberts says workers—especially in rural areas—need to be on guard for attempts to mislead and distract them from voting for pro-worker candidates in the upcoming election.

We are saying to state right now that you are going to see this, that there’s going to be an attempt by the NRA and Republican Party and Sen. John McCain’s team to say “If you vote for Barack Obama he’s going to take your gun away.”

For more information on Sen. Obama’s plans to fight for jobs, unions and an economy that works for everyone, visit Meet Barack Obama.

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Paid for by the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education Political Contributions Committee, www.aflcio.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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