UMWA Issues Strike Notice For Members At Warrior Met Coal

BROOKWOOD, AL — United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) on Tuesday afternoon issued an unfair labor practice strike notice at Warrior Met Coal, Inc., to begin at 10:30 p.m. on April 1, which comes as the restructured company continues to battle back from its 2016 bankruptcy and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

UMWA says the notice covers more than 1,100 workers at all of the company’s operations, including the #4 mine, the #5 preparation plant, the #7 mine and its Central Shop. The union has also filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board relating to Warrior Met’s conduct during negotiations.

“Despite repeated attempts by our negotiating team to bridge the differences we have at the bargaining table, Warrior Met is going backwards,” UMWA International President Cecil E. Roberts said in a statement Wednesday morning. “We have always been ready to reach a fair agreement that recognizes the sacrifices our members and their families made to keep this company alive. At this point, Warrior Met is not.”

Warrior Met (NYSE: HCC) is one of the few publicly-traded manufacturers headquartered in Alabama and recently logged a net loss of $33.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2020, as Patch previously reported. The net loss was coupled with a noticeable dip in production for the full year, however company officials cited its cash flow position in expressing optimism for the future.

Officials with Warrior Met could not be reached for comment following the announcement of strike order.

Roberts, on the other hand, had much to say, claiming the union's members are the reason Warrior Met exists today, while pointing to the sacrifices made by employees to bring the company back from when its previous incarnation — Walter Energy — went bankrupt due to poor business decisions compounded by an unforgiving market that continues to see demand slide.

“These productive, professional miners at Warrior Met mined the coal that meant the company could become successful again,” Roberts said. “And Warrior Met has capitalized on their hard work, earning tens of millions in profits for their Wall Street owners. They have even rewarded upper management with bonuses of up to $35,000 in recent weeks. But today, instead of rewarding the sacrifices and work of the miners, Warrior Met is seeking even further sacrifices from them, while demonstrating perhaps some of the worst labor-management relations we’ve seen in this industry since the days of the company town and company store."

UMWA says dues-paying members who participate in the picket line or other strike duty will receive bi-weekly strike assistance payments from the union’s Selective Strike fund. The union will also be procuring health care coverage for members and their families for the duration of the strike.

“Nobody in their right mind ever wants to strike,” Roberts said. “But sometimes the company’s actions and disregard for the welfare of workers and their families forces a strike. This is one of those times. Our members at Warrior Met should know that they have the full backing of the entire International Union and working families across Alabama, the United States and the world. Despite Warrior Met’s apparent appetite for this conflict, we will prevail.”

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