Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 24, 1993 TAG: 9305240057
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLESTON, W.VA. LENGTH: Short
The UMW has about 4,000 miners on strike in Illinois, Indiana and West Virginia. The strike began May 10, a week after the expiration of a negotiated extension of a contract with the Bituminous Coal Operators Association. It was expanded to West Virginia last week.
Both sides said Sunday that no new negotiations were scheduled.
"So often I think people look at a strike like this and they try to measure its impact in terms of what utility consumers experience, and that's really the wrong criteria," said UMW spokesman Jim Grossfeld.
"The fact that these coal operators that are struck and those that could potentially be struck are no longer reliable suppliers of coal to their customers exacts a toll that they clearly understand," Grossfeld said.
"This is a very competitive business," he said. "Our message to the coal operators is that because it is so competitive we'd like to see the strike settled as soon as possible so we can go about the business of mining and selling coal to America."
A stumbling point in resuming negotiations remains jobs. The union and companies cannot agree on what percentage of new jobs should be granted to union workers.
Tom Hoffman, a spokesman for the coal operators' negotiating team, said he agreed with Grossfeld that the strike is hurting the industry.
But while the UMW blames the companies for the lack of negotiations, Hoffman said it is the union's demands that are unrealistic.
by CNB