Judge Rules Warrior Met Coal Violated National Labor Law

TUSCALOOSA, AL — National Labor Relations Board Administrative Law Judge Melissa M. Oliverio last week ruled that Brookwood-based Warrior Met Coal violated national labor law in its bargaining conduct before, during and after the two-year strike by United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).

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Oliverio also ordered Warrior Met Coal to bargain in good faith immediately.

“We appreciate this ruling, because it validates everything we have been saying about this company for more than two years now,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said on Friday. “This company caused this strike by not bargaining in good faith, it extended the strike for nearly two years by not bargaining in good faith, and it continues to violate the law today.”

Roberts then said Warrior Met’s refusal to bargain in good faith has caused much hardship to many workers, families and communities over the last two years

“The company spent millions on New York lawyers, a Hollywood public relations firm, extra security and more," he said. "It lost more than a billion dollars in potential sales over the course of the strike because of lost production at a time of unprecedented high prices for metallurgical coal. None if it had to happen ... Warrior Met’s intent, from the very beginning of this strike, was to grind the workers down by whatever means necessary, up to and including violations of the law,” Roberts said. “And now Warrior Met has been found guilty. It must remedy this, by bringing all the workers back it has illegally fired or denied a right to return to their jobs."

Roberts then said the company must come to the bargaining table with a new, lawful attitude, which recognizes the workers’ collective right to bargain for better pay and working conditions.

“We have been saying for more than two years now that we have been ready to sit down and bargain an agreement in good faith with Warrior Met," he said. "It should now be clear to all that the company never intended to do any such thing. Perhaps now, it finally will.”

In June, Warrior Met Coal executives told investors that the return-to-work process had been ongoing since February and was substantially complete.

The company said approximately 250 eligible union-represented employees returned to work following the end of the strike, which prompted Warrior Met to adjust work schedules to maximize the amount of incremental production and revised the budget and outlook for the full year.

“We are pleased to welcome back the returning employees and look forward to the incremental impact on our sales and production volumes this year,” Warrior Met CEO Walt Scheller said. “Despite our ability to continue to operate our business successfully during the labor strike, the upside to an increased workforce is material, but we are still short of our historical staffing levels. Moving forward, we believe that Warrior remains well positioned to capitalize on its low-cost position and strong production volumes to drive enhanced stockholder value, including through investment in the world-class Blue Creek reserves.”

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