CHARLESTON, W.Va. – In death, 14 West Virginia coal miners have achieved something that just a month ago seemed an unlikely goal: Labor and industry leaders, along with lawmakers, are united in demanding that a dangerous subterranean occupation be made safer.
Hours after the bodies of two missing miners were found Saturday in Aracoma Coal’s Alma No. 1 mine at Melville, Gov. Joe Manchin and West Virginia’s congressional delegation called for a major overhaul of state and federal mine safety laws.
Both the National Mining Association and the United Mine Workers of America said Sunday that they, too, will press for change.
“This is a time for all of us who share responsibility for mining safety to come together and look for ways to make mining safer,” said Carol Raulston, spokeswoman for the National Mining Association in Washington. “We have made dramatic improvements over the last 15 years, but there’s more to be done.”