UMWA Hopes Shoal Creek Labor Agreement Will Pave Way For Warrior Met Negotiations

ADGER, AL — Union miners hope the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement for a mine in Adger will pave the way for talks in a hotly-contested strike at another mine in Brookwood.

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Members of the United Mine Workers of America Local Union 1948 on Sunday ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with Peabody Energy, which operates the Shoal Creek metallurgical coal mine that has been idled by a labor strike since Oct. 4, 2020. The new agreement passed in the union hall with 63% of the vote.

The new Shoal Creek collective bargaining agreement includes an hourly wage increase and health care provisions consistent with the UMWA’s national coal agreement, in addition to a $5,000 ratification bonus paid to all union members.

The agreement is set to expire Dec. 31, 2024.

According to Peabody Energy, the Shoal Creek underground mine sold 2.1 million tons of Seaborne hard coking coal in 2019, prior to the strike, while also resulting in $585 million in direct and indirect economic benefits.

UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said the ratification will pave the way for the reopening of the Shoal Creek mine, in addition to sending several hundred UMWA members back to work after nearly a year on the picket line.

“This will provide an economic boost not just for our members and their families, but also to the communities where they live,” Roberts said. “And it provides a roadmap to settling the six-month strike at Warrior Met Coal in the same region."

Negotiations in Brookwood for Warrior Met Coal remain stalled, even as the community commemorated the 20-year anniversary of a tragic explosion that killed 13 Jim Walter Resources miners.

Approximately 1,100 UMWA members at Warrior Met first walked off the job in April, citing their desire for a new collective bargaining agreement between UMWA and Warrior Met. Votes were then cast in local union halls the same month, but failed and set the course for a contentious six months of the protracted strike thus far.

The push for a new collective bargaining agreement has included large-scale public rallies at Tannehill State Park in McCalla, which have been met with impressive support from community members and policymakers, alike.

The strike has also been destructive and, at times, violent, as those on the picket lines clash with company employees. In May and June, as the strike wore on past its first month, Warrior Met Coal offered a $10,000 reward after damage was caused to company equipment on three separate occasions.

“It’s time for Warrior Met to step up and reach this kind of fair and reasonable agreement with its workers. I remain ready to negotiate with Warrior Met day and night to reach that agreement and get everyone in Alabama back to work.”

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