Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 7, 1993 TAG: 9302070066
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: C7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLESTON, W.VA. LENGTH: Medium
MINES AND UNION STILL AT LOGGERHEADS ON 6TH DAY OF STRIKE
The United Mine Workers and an association that represents 12 of the nation's largest coal producers remained gridlocked Saturday over a strike involving 7,500 miners, spokesmen said.Union spokesman Jim Grossfeld and Tom Hoffman, spokesman for the Bituminous Coal Operators Association negotiating team, said no negotiations are scheduled.
Neither would predict the duration of the stalemate.
"I think any time you're in a negotiating situation the parties could some way or another find a way to get back to together and get back together very quickly," Hoffman said.
The selective strike was called by UMW President Richard Trumka on Monday after a contract involving more than 60,000 UMW miners and 150,000 retirees expired. The striking miners work for two Peabody Holding Group subsidiaries, Eastern Associated Coal of Charleston and Peabody Coal Co.
The main sticking point is long-term job security, both sides have said.
Picket lines were up in West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.
Grossfeld reiterated the union is ready for a lengthy walkout.
"We plan for long strikes," Grossfeld said. "That's been the nature of labor relations within the coal industry.
"The ability to tough out protracted labor disputes has been one of the hallmarks of the UMW," he said.
The union has a $100 million strike fund. Considering weekly strike pay of $150 per miner involved, it costs the union more than $1 million a week to stay on strike.
Grossfeld declined to say how long the union could continue its strike pay.
"That starts getting into areas that we don't comment on publicly," he said. "A union doesn't go into any strike without considering these and other issues and without planning for every contingency."
The UMW's last major coal strike targeted Pittston Coal Group in 1989 and 1990. It lasted about 10 months and involved 1,700 union members in Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia.
The latest strike already dwarfs that in number, and it could grow, Grossfeld said.
"We've always made it very clear there's a good chance of that happening," he said. "When and how that could happen really does hinge on the attitude and the approach the coal operators take. But we've made no secret of the fact that we're prepared to widen it."
Grossfeld declined to comment Saturday on what other coal producers might be targeted.
A union official from southern West Virginia, Howard Green, said earlier this week the strike might expand to CONSOL Inc., the nation's second-largest coal producer.
Hoffman is also vice president of public relations for Consolidation Coal Inc., a company which CONSOL Inc. has a majority interest. He said he knew of no picketing activity at his company Saturday.
Meantime, striking miners continued to take turns picketing around the clock, despite temperatures that have been dipping below freezing overnight.
"It's cold, but we're dressed for it," said Sherman White, president of Local 1503 in Bald Knob, which has more than 500 miners on strike.
"We've got our fires so we did have a little bit of heat," he said.
White said the miners are in the dark as well as the cold.
"We get blacked out just like the press," he said, referring to secrecy on strike negotiations. "It's probably for our best benefit. We'd all like to know something, but we'd just be arguing the pros and cons of it if we knew every little move that's made. We'll respond as we're directed by the international."
Both sides have made an offer of a 60-day contract extension. But it is not clear if the offers are similar since details have been kept secret.
Hoffman and Grossfeld indicated Saturday there have been no breakthroughs in that area.