Coal Miner Calls Into C-Span - He's Makin' $19 an Hour and doin' great

The miner calls in and says he's making $19 an hour, coal prices are up and there's plenty of work.

$19 an hour, that's about $38,000 a year. Average household income in this country is about $44,000.

Roof falls, cave-ins, and popping rock. Ineffective rescue plans, reduced mine inspections, and mine-owner greed; nothing has changed in the coal mining business in the last 60 years.

Someone explain to me the risk-reward relationship again.

:shrug:

We used to drive through the old WV turnpike and see all the great trucks and such and I was always told about how they spent the HUGE amount of money they made on that but nothing else really. *SIGH* probably another lie I was brainwashed with back then.

I did think they made more than that. Hell - illegals working in construction make that much.

Wait about 20 years and then check this kid's attitude.

ThomWV, as you well know up there in WV, coal mining isn't an easy way to make a living, nor is it the safest.

BTW, I was in Clarksburg earlier this month visiting in-law relatives. It's still just as beautiful as it always has been.

and parents do everything they can to keep their kids from going.

IMO, we'll be funneling illegal immigrants down into mine soon. That way when the roof caves in, who cares? (from Govt/Industry/GOP perspective)

I am willing to bet that those who live and work in coal mining communities make a lot less than the miners.

the fact that coal companies routinely exploit their workers.

go into mining. Until Americans reduce their electric usage more people will go into the mining industry.

Coal mining is the reason he died of black lung disease.

Yes, I realize anecdotal evidence of how miners are exploited probably will not make much difference to you, but knowing the stories of many, many people who have been exploited by that industry and many others is at the heart of why I am a liberal, just so ya know.

The first thing you are missing is how many fewer coal miners there are these days. There used to be 'coal camps' which were communities in which everything depended on the local mine. Those are long gone. Now days the communities are much more diverse and it isn't at all uncommon for the coal miner to be one of the lower paid persons in the community.

For instance, I had a dead-end job in the Federal Government and yet I was making twice as much as my coal miner neighbors on the day I retired, and all I have is coal miners (3/4 of whom were early retires from Black Lung) on every side of me.

make more than me and I run a business.

These are the questions my sister (six figure income) said to me on our long drive up to Vermont. I told her they work there because it's the only way they can afford to raise a family in that area. Her next question was; "Why don't they just move"? The last question was a little harder to answer. What should I have said?

Alot of these folks - I'm guessing - don't have college or vocational educations ... so if they uproot their families to other (metro) areas ... then what ? Work at Wal Mart? Home Depot? The local mill, for the same wage ? Maybe construction if they're lucky?

What's the point? :shrug:

if he doesn't have any of those benefits (without having to contribute to it)...then he is being cheated even more...

Especially since mining is hazardous and miners end up suffering from a number of maladies as they age...

in his area it's probably 2x the amount he would make. Hell he is probably the one person in his community who can afford health care.

...you wouldn't catch my Ass working in an environment where the roof has a decent chance of crushing you like the proverbial Humpty Dumpty.

Plus the fact that a lot of mines ignore OSHA standards...No Way..

But rather by MSHA. There are different standards for mining safety as compared with "regular" workplaces. MSHA is much tougher. I work in a place (ground level) which is covered by MSHA. They have a place for anonymous reporting of safety violations on the front page of their website.

so the guy is being taken the the cleaners...

But then again...my uncle was a Union Miner!

No benefits.

most of the miners in my family are now retired but when they were working they made a lot of money...it is rumored that my one family member cleared over $100k in one really good year since he was putting in a lot of overtime... he worked at the coal face with the machinery..

Workers start out at $10 an hour. They aren't even hired directly by the mine, but are contract labor hired through sort of a mining temp agency called GMS.

Maybe $38gs may not be the lap of luxuary, but it's not bad money in rural areas. Expenses there sure aren't what they are in a major metropolitan area and the money is better in the mines than it is in most other forms of work in the area.

I've read posts from several DU'ers in coal areas whose families have been "in the mines" for generations. I've met miner as well...and these people are a unique breed...similar to those worked the steel mills...a throwback to a different time and work ethic in this country. They view the dangers as their challenge and almost a badge of honor. Risks can't be spelled out in dollars and cents, but in the perspective of the lifestyle many of these people have lived around all their lives.

I've been highly critical of Murray and will continue to do so. He's the worst of the worst as supposedly he worked the mines and instead of making conditions better for his fellow miners, he shit on them.

not in the mine. Interesting that the first self-identified coal miner that I can recall ever calling into C-Span called now. Hmmmmmmm......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing

If he's really a miner, I'm a Buddhist monk.

There are tons of people in this country that would be thanking God for making 19 bucks an hour, no? I just don't see the source of outrage here.

I gotta see a link to these numbers.

that includes all the multi-income families as well as single income.

Just sayin'.

The median salary numbers are harder to come by. Overtime compensation, bonus structures, profit sharing, 401k's and the like make it hard to get exact figures for personal compensation.

The SAUS has is and you can usually find that in any library. It's usually one year behind. For 2006, that number is under $33k.
The Professor

Also in parts of Ohio (including some of Murray's mines). A disclaimer here--I've never worked in a mine, I'm just related to people that work in mines.

Among the poor and minimally educated in these parts, mining is considered to be a very desirable and high-paying job. This is compared to other jobs you can get with minimal qualifications.

Many can't afford to get a job in mining because to start, you need a reliable car, money for a safety class, and money for equipment--boots, hardhat, belt, etc--not to mention you need to take a week off of work for the safety class.

After you take the mine safety class, MAYBE you'll be hired by a company that provides temp workers to the local coal mines. You start at $10 an hour with no benefits. You will shovel and haul things and generally do the work no one else wants to do. Overtime is paid at time and a half, so you want to work overtime. If the mines are busy, you will find yourself working for weeks at a time with no break. If the mines are not busy, you will find yourself jobless. If you get sick, you will find yourself unemployed and the company will claim you quit.

After six months, you get a raise to $15 an hour and get offered minimal health insurance. If you have a family, the health insurance will take most of what you make. After a year, you get your "black hat" and can work in the mines unsupervised. At this point you hope the mine hires you.