"Jim Justice, 73, would join the now essentially the unanimous pro-fossil fuel bloc of Republicans in Congress. Justice inherited a fortune in coal interests and his family’s companies have a staggering trail of lawsuits, debt and environmental health and safety fines.
Democrat Glenn Elliott, 52, argues that warming is bringing dangerous weather extremes like torrential downpours to #WestVirginia and that an #EnergyTransition away from fossil fuels is inevitable."
Former Trump Voter: "He's incompetent and corrupt!" Jim-Bob is a West Virginia voter who once supported Donald Trump. Watch him explain why he will never vote for him again.
Today in Labor History May 18, 1920: The Battle of Matewan occurred in the town of Matewan, Mingo County, West Virginia. It started when the mine bosses fired miners for joining the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and evicted them from their company housing. Sheriff Sid Hatfield supported the miners’ right to organize and tried to arrest the detectives. The detectives, in turn, tried to arrest Hatfield. Unbeknownst to the detectives, armed miners had surrounded them. No one knows who shot first, but when the smoke had cleared, there were 7 dead detectives, including Albert and Lee Felts, and 4 dead townspeople, including the mayor. The episode became known as the Matewan Massacre, and is depicted in John Sayles’ film Matewan. West Virginia bluegrass singer and labor activist Hazel Dickens sings the film's title track, "Fire in the Hole."
Mining was, and still is, one of the most dangerous and corrupt industries around. Owners typically forced the miners to live in company towns and purchase living necessities from their company stores at inflated prices. They paid the men in scrip, which was useless outside of the company towns. In the time leading up to the Battle of Matewan, miners in other parts of the country had won a 27% wage increase. The time was ripe for organizing southern Appalachia. The UMWA sent in their best organizers, including Mother Jones. 3,000 men signed union cards in the early spring of 1920. Yet, at the same time, vigilantes, detectives and goons were murdering miners in the region. And the company was evicting anyone who signed up. So, hundreds of miners and their families were living in the Stony Mountain Camp Tent Colony.
On August 1, 1921, surviving members of the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency assassinated Sheriff Sid Hatfield, in broad daylight, on the steps of Welch County courthouse, as his wife watched in horror. As news of his death spread, miners began arming themselves, leading to the Battle of Blair Mountain. the largest armed insurrection since the Civil War, and the largest labor uprising in U.S. history. 10,000-15,000 coal miners battled 3,000 cops, private cops and vigilantes, who were backed by the coal bosses. Up to 100 miners died in the fighting, along with 10-30 Baldwin-Felts detectives and three national guards. Nearly 1,000 people were arrested. One million rounds were fired. And the government bombed striking coal miners by air, using homemade bombs and poison gas left over from World War I. You can read my complete article on the Battle of Blair Mountain here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2024/04/14/the-battle-of-blair-mountain/
Today in Labor History May 5, 2018: Capping several weeks of teacher unrest across the country, public educators in Arizona won raises of 10 to 20 percent. Just prior to this, Oklahoma teachers struck for nine days and won roughly $6,000 in annual increases. And before that, teachers in West Virginia, won a five percent raise after their nearly two-week walkout. However, in almost all of the teacher strikes that occurred that year, the unions negotiated sell-out contracts that gave workers a fraction of what they demanded.
👏🏻“Federal appeals court has overturned a #WestVirginia transgender sports ban, finding that the law violates Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools.
The Battle of Blair Mountain (Aug 25-Sep 2, 1921) in Logan County, West Virginia, was the largest armed insurrection since the Civil War, and the largest labor uprising in U.S. history. 10,000-15,000 coal miners battled 3,000 cops, private cops and vigilantes, who were backed by the coal bosses. Up to 100 miners died in the fighting, along with 10-30 Baldwin-Felts detectives and three national guards. Nearly 1,000 people were arrested. One million rounds were fired. And the government bombed striking coal miners by air, using homemade bombs and poison gas left over from World War I. This was the second time the government had used planes to bomb its own citizens within the U.S. (the first was against African American during the Tulsa pogrom, earlier that same year).
From the late 1800s, mine owners forced workers to live in company towns. They deducted miners’ rent from their wages and paid them in scrip, which was worthless everywhere accept at the overpriced company stores. The work was extremely dangerous and safety equipment and precautions were minimal. And the mine owners routinely used private detectives and goons to spy on workers, infiltrate their meetings, beat them up, murder them, and block any attempts to unionize.
During the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek Strike (April 1912 through July 1913), the sheriff and his deputies attacked the miners’ tent colony at Holly Grove, in West Virginia with the “Bull Moose Special” (an armored train fitted with machine guns). Mother Jones was one of the main organizers of this strike. Over 50 people died during the violent confrontations with scabs, goons and private detectives. Countless more died from starvation and malnutrition. In terms of casualties, it was one of the deadliest strikes in U.S. history.
Today in Labor History April 5, 2010: Twenty-nine coal miners were killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia. In 2015, Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was convicted of a misdemeanor for conspiring to willfully violate safety standards and was sentenced to one year in prison. He was found not guilty of charges of securities fraud and making false statements. Investigators also found that the U.S. Department of Labor and its Mine Safety and Health Administration were guilty of failing to act decisively, even after Massey was issued 515 citations for safety violations at the Upper Big Branch mine in 2009, prior to the deadly explosion.
"#WestVirginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) on Tuesday vetoed a measure that would raise the allowable size for a #olar plant operated by state utilities, citing concerns about its effects on the #coal industry."
He says he does this to "protect" voters from rising energy prices -- while hoping voters don't know that it's now a lot cheaper to build new solar than to keep a coal plant going.
Exxon CEO Darren Woods says the quiet part out loud: The problem with renewable energy sources is that they “don't generate above-average returns for Exxon's shareholders.” — @pluralistichttps://pluralistic.net/2024/03/06/exxonknew/
The sun generates virtually limitless and free energy, with much of it available in the form of wind and tides. And we’re already well underway to harnessing that energy.
Former Exxon top DC lobbyist Keith McCoy “confessed to everything: funding fake grassroots groups and falsifying the science – he even names the senators who took his bribes. McCoy singled out Manchin for special praise, calling him "a kingmaker" and boasting about the "standing weekly calls" Exxon had with Manchin's office.”
Today in Labor History February 7, 1913: A county sheriff and his deputies on the “Bull Moose Special” (an armored train fitted with machine guns), attacked a miners’ tent colony at Holly Grove, in West Virginia. This was during the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek Strike (4/18/1912 through July 1913). Mother Jones was one of the main organizers. Over 50 people died during the violent confrontations with scabs, goons and private detectives. Countless more died from starvation and malnutrition. In terms of casualties, it was one of the worst strikes in U.S. history. It was a prelude to the bigger and even more violent Battle of Matewan, and the Battle of Blair Mountain (Aug-Sep, 1921). The latter was the largest labor uprising in U.S. history, and the largest armed insurrection since the Civil War. 10,000 minors battled 3,000 lawmen and scabs, and only ended with the U.S. army intervened. Up to 100 people died. And during the battle, bombs were dropped on the striking miners by airplane, the 2nd time in U.S. history that had been done. (The first was just months earlier, during the Tulsa Race Massacre).