Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 8, 1993 TAG: 9302080024
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
UMW SAYS GUARDS HARASSING PICKETS
A security company hired to watch Peabody Holding Co. sites across West Virginia is trying to provoke confrontations with striking miners and videotape the results, a union official alleged Sunday."This weekend they kept moving in on different Peabody properties and basically trying to use their intimidating means and methods to try to provoke problems," said Howard Green of Charleston, W.Va.-based District 17 of the United Mine Workers.
Terry Whitt, a spokesman for Peabody subsidiary Eastern Associated Coal Corp., said Green's allegations about Northern Virginia-based Vance Security were "totally untrue."
The UMW has been on a selective strike against the St. Louis-based Peabody, the nation's largest coal producer, since last Tuesday after a contract involving more than 60,000 UMW miners and 150,000 retirees expired.
The strike affects about 7,500 miners in West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky; UMW President Richard Trumka has said it could expand to other companies.
The main point of dispute is long-term job security, both sides have said.
In Benton, Ill., the union Sunday gave strike training to Old Ben Coal Co. employees. Old Ben, which employs about 1,500 UMW members nationwide, is a subsidiary of Zeigler Coal Holding Co.
UMW spokesman Jim Grossfeld on Sunday said no contract talks were scheduled between the union and the Bituminous Coal Operators Association negotiating team. The association represents 12 of the nation's largest coal producers.
Thomas Hoffman, a spokesman for the association's negotiating team, did not return a message left at his home Sunday.
The strike so far has been violence-free. Green said the security force hired by Peabody is trying to stir trouble.
"They've been basically trying to harass our people with cameras and spotlights during the night, things like that," said Green, a representative to the UMW International Executive Board.
He said miners on picket lines have avoided confrontations and state police have reported no problems. Green said the hiring of Vance Security "tells us that basically it's going to probably be a lengthy strike."
Whitt said Vance Security was hired solely to observe and document the pickets in case any incidents needed to be reported to authorities. "We have several mines and preparation plants and naturally these are million-dollar investments and we have a judicial responsibility to make sure they're protected," Whitt said.