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ISU TO LEAD DELEGATION OF STEELWORKERS TO CAPITOL Weirton, WV—The Independent Steelworkers Union will join several national unions and the West Virginia Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. next week to urge legislative action to the mountain top coal mining crisis in West Virginia. Mark Glyptis, President of the 3,900 member union in Weirton, West Virginia, will lead a delegation of steelworkers to the noon rally, Tuesday, November 9, 1999 on the west side of the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Charles Haden last month issued a ruling declaring strip mining practices as illegal under federal guidelines. The Federal judge has since issued a temporary stay. As a result of the federal court ruling, more than 100,000 coal related jobs in West Virginia may be lost. According to Glyptis, the noon rally in the Nation’s capital is aimed at sending a message to the Congress and the Clinton Administration immediate action is needed to save coal miner jobs in West Virginia. "The I.S.U. will stand shoulder to shoulder with our Union brothers and sisters working in the coal industry and we will do everything we can to help the miners in their time of crisis as they have helped us in the "Stand Up For Steel" crisis," Glyptis declared. He said the I.S.U. delegation will join the United Mine Workers, the AFL-CIO and the Teamsters union at the rally. "Steel is already under attack in West Virginia and unless our Congressional delegation is successful in obtaining federal legislative help, we may see a major decline in mining and mining related jobs that would adversely affect the local and state tax base in West Virginia, "Glyptis warned. He said the West Virginia Congressional delegation has shown true leadership in supporting American steelworkers during the import crisis and predicted an eventual victory for West Virginia coal miners. "But as we learned last January, our strength is in our numbers and we hope to be part of a massive rally next week that will show the Congress help for the West Virginia coal industry is needed now." Glyptis said. "The I.S.U. joins Senators Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller as well as Congressmen Alan Mollohan, Bob Wise, and Nick Rahall in asking for a balanced solution using common sense," Glyptis noted. "Leaders in the crisis believe the ground work to a solution is already in place in a memorandum of understanding agreed to by the EPA, OSM, the Army Corps of Engineers and the WVDEP. Contact: David M. Gossett 304-748-8080 Union Hall |
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