Massey Energy and the United Mine Workers Union

Massey Energy—which owns the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, where at least 25 miners lost their lives in a methane explosion Monday afternoon—has a long record of sacrificing the lives and limbs of coal miners in pursuit of profit.

The nation’s fourth largest coal company, Richmond, Virginia-based Massey Energy made $104 million last year, twice its 2008 profits, despite continued weak demand for coal. The profits were largely gained through a vicious cost-cutting campaign, including the elimination of 700 jobs, shutting down of higher-cost mines and “significant wage and benefit reductions,” according to a report on the NASDAQ web site.

At the same time, the company told investors it anticipated increasing production to 50 million tons and would increase profits by exporting more metallurgical coal to Asian steelmakers who were recovering faster than their European and US counterparts. Thus the company intends to increase production and profits with fewer workers. These workers will be driven to produce even more, while safety regulations are largely disregarded.

Last year alone, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) cited the Upper Big Branch Mine for 495 violations. During the same time production was tripled at the mine. Since 2005, the mine was cited for a total of 1,342 violations, including 50 in March. Asked if the mine had an unusually high rate of safety problems, Massey CEO Don Blankenship told a West Virginia radio station Tuesday that safety violations were “a normal part of the mining process,” adding that there are “violations at every coal mine in America.”

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http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/apr2010/mass-a07.shtml

MUST READ historical article with pictures too.