The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Today's Front Page

Related Photos

  • Vicki and Ronald Ball, both of Logan County, talk with Sen. Jay Rockefeller and Rep. Nick Rahall during a Friday afternoon meeting at the Raleigh County Public Library. A bill the two federal lawmakers plan to introduce would protect pension and health benefits for retired coal miners and their families. F. Brian Ferguson

    022313 News Rocky 1A1.jpg

  • U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller speaks with retired coal miners at the Raleigh County Library Friday about protecting their pension and health benefits. F. Brian Ferguson

    022313 News Rocky 1A2.jpg
February 23, 2013

Rockefeller, Rahall to introduce miners pension bill

By Wendy Holdren Register-Herald Reporter

BECKLEY — U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall,  and Sen. Jay Rockefeller joined a group of retired coal mine workers Friday at the Raleigh County Public Library to discuss new legislation, the Coalfield Accountability and Retired Employee Act, which would protect the pension and lifetime health benefits of thousands of retired coal miners and their families.

Patriot Coal, a spin-off from Peabody Energy and Arch Coal, is facing bankruptcy and could shed its obligations to retirees, which means over 12,000 retired miners, many of whom never even worked for Patriot, and their dependents would lose health benefits and the United Mine Workers of America’s 1974 pension plan would be further crippled.

Rockefeller said the pension plan, which covers more than 100,000 mine workers, is severely underfunded and on the road to insolvency — a result of the recent financial crisis and fewer contributions to the plan.

Rockefeller said to all the mine workers present at Friday’s discussion, “I owe so much to all of you.”

He said he understands their frustrations and added that trying to take away pensions and health benefits is “a crummy way of treating people.”

Rahall thanked Rockefeller for committing “a lifetime to coal miners.”

He also expressed his gratitude to the miners, who provide energy for our nation.

“Our coal miners have sacrificed lives, limbs and their everyday way of living. We in West Virginia, as hardworking as we are, know what a promise is.”

Both Rahall and Rockefeller pledged not to let the promise these coal companies have made to their retirees be forgotten.

Shirley Inman, a 69-year-old retired rock truck driver and breast cancer survivor, joined the discussion.

She reviewed her work and health history, shared photos with the lawmakers, and told them how she had been promised a health card and a pension for the rest of her life.

When she was finished, she said, “I guess I was pretty wound up, wasn’t I?”

UMWA President Cecil Roberts said she had every right to be wound up.

“What kind of society are we? Promises don’t seem to go very far these days.”

He said these coal companies have $1,000 an hour lawyers and $2 an hour morals.

Joe Brown, a miner for 33 years at Peabody, spoke about his medical issues and how he simply would not be able to afford it without his health benefits.

“I want what the company promised me. We deserve it. All of us, not just me. They worked for it, they earned it and they should be able to get it. We’re not going to give up.”

Terry Newsome said he had spent over 67,000 hours underground mining coal.

“I’ve had 20 injuries, including a hernia, a broken nose, a broken foot, back pain, arthritis. It’s brutal labor. I did it because of this promise. This is what we relied on. They made me lie to my wife because I told her when we retire, we’ll be secure.”

Ronald Ball attended the discussion, alongside his wife of 32 years, Vicki, who he met at one of his mining jobs.

He talked about the severe back injury he sustained from falling on a rail track because the site did not have a necessary tool.

“The only thing they cared about was getting their trains loaded.”

Roberts said he wished everyone had the compassion that Rahall and Rockefeller do when it comes to mine legislation and mine safety.

“This is a life and death situation for many of these families.”

— E-mail: wholdren@register-herald.com

Text Only
Today's Front Page
  • powerball Drawing tonight

    With an estimated Powerball Jackpot of $600 million, the largest prize in the game’s history and the world’s second largest lottery prize, many local residents are dreaming of how they would spend their fortune if they were to strike it rich.

    May 18, 2013 1 Photo

  • Details still ‘sketchy’ concerning shutdown of cardiac stent procedures at RGH

     The four-day suspension of heart stent procedures at Raleigh General Hospital due to an “unexpected availability of physician coverage” and without further explanation has left more questions than answers, answers that, according to hospital spokesman and Director of Marketing Kevin McGraw, will not be available until at least Monday.

    May 18, 2013

  • ticket 2013 Click-it Or Ticket campaign starts today

    Beckley Police Lt. Paul Blume wants to let motorists know that if they get pulled over in the Beckley area today, they’re getting a ticket.

    May 18, 2013 1 Photo

  • grad An Eye Toward the Future

    May 18, 2013 1 Photo

  • RGH suspends heart stent procedures until Monday

     Officials at Raleigh General Hospital issued a statement late Thursday afternoon indicating that “due to the unexpected unavailability of physician coverage,” cardiac stent procedures won’t be available to area residents at the Beckley facility until Monday, May 20.
     No other details were provided by hospital officials.
     Interventional cardiac care procedures were launched at RGH in November 2009 to serve a growing need for angioplasty lab services in Southern West Virginia.
     

    May 16, 2013

  • Thompson to depart house speaker post

    Rick Thompson is abandoning his post as speaker of the House of Delegates to accept a cabinet-level job in the Tomblin administration as head of the Department of Veterans Assistance.
    Thompson’s departure is likely to trigger a scramble to succeed him as speaker, with a number of Democrats expected to jockey for the post.

    May 16, 2013

  • No Powerball winner; jackpot soars to $475 million

    The Powerball jackpot has climbed to $475 million after no tickets matched the winning numbers in the latest drawing.

    May 16, 2013

  • W.Va. House speaker to take Cabinet post

    Sources tell The Associated Press that House Speaker Richard Thompson is leaving the Legislature to join Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s Cabinet.

    May 16, 2013

  • At least 6 confirmed dead in Texas tornadoes

    A rash of tornados slammed into several small communities in North Texas overnight, leaving at least six people dead, dozens more injured and hundreds homeless. The violent spring storm scattered bodies, flattened homes, threw trailers onto cars.

    May 16, 2013

  • 051613 1A1 News FOP 1.jpg THIN BLUE LINE — National Peace Officers Memorial Day observed

    Police and community members took time Wednesday to pause and memorialize.
    “These are men and women who had a calling for peace in a world full of darkness, those who chose to represent a thin blue line that runs through that darkness,” Lt. R.S. Prince of the Oak Hill Police Department, who served as master of ceremonies, told the gathered crowd.

    May 16, 2013 2 Photos