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August 4, 2022

Labor Board Orders Striking Coal Miners to Pay $13.3 Million in Damages
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The National Labor Relations Board has ordered a union of striking coal
miners in Alabama to pay $13.3 million in damages to the Warrior Met
Coal company, 16 months after they walked off the job to protest huge
cuts to their pay, pensions and healthcare benefits. The NLRB cited the
strike's financial toll on Warrior Met's labor and security costs, as
well as "lost revenues for unmined coal." In a statement, the United
Mine Workers of America called the NLRB's ruling a "slap in the face" of
workers and said it has no intention of paying the fine. Union President
Cecil Roberts said, "Is it now the policy of the federal government that
unions be required to pay a company's losses as a consequence of their
members exercising their rights as working people? This is outrageous
and effectively negates workers' right to strike."