Labor leaders hold rally to support striking Warrior Met Coal miners

Members of the United Mine Workers of America held a rally Wednesday at Tannehill State Park in support of miners striking against Warrior Met Coal in Brookwood.

Organizers of the rally said that more than 1,200 UMWA members came by bus from Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia in a show of solidarity with the striking Warrior Met Coal miners.

The rally was held as a line of storms moved through Alabama.

“We have been on strike at Warrior Met Coal for a year now demanding a fair and decent contract,” said Cecil E. Roberts, UMWA International's president, in a news release issued shortly before the rally. “And a little bad weather isn’t going to slow us down. We are thankful for the support we have received across the nation for this strike and look forward to seeing everyone at the rally this week to fight for the justice these miners deserve.”

Citing unfair labor practices, coal miners took to the picket line April 1, 2021, after an agreement between the union members and Warrior Met Coal could not be reached.

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Warrior Met Coal has maintained from the beginning of the strike that its negotiating position is meant to protect itself as well as the long-term employment of its 1,400 or so workers.