This is the next post in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 65 of our affiliates. Next up is the Mine Workers (UMWA).
Name of Union: United Mine Workers of America
Mission: To empower workers with a strong voice on the job and financial security at home. The union fights for safe working conditions, fair wages, quality benefits and strong, effective representation for all working families.
Current Leadership of Union: Cecil E. Roberts currently serves as international president. A sixth-generation coal miner from Kanawha County, West Virginia, Roberts began his mining career at Carbon Fuels' No. 31 mine in Winifred, West Virginia. He was first elected international vice president in 1982 and re-elected several times before being elected president in 1995. Now serving his fifth full term, Roberts will retire in October 2025 after three decades of dedicated leadership as UMWA’s international president.
Following Roberts’ retirement, International Secretary-Treasurer Brian Sanson will assume the role of international president. The UMWA leadership team also includes nine vice presidents: Chuck Knisell (District 2), Steve Earle (District 12), Brian Lacy (District 17), Larry Spencer (District 20), Michael Dalpiaz (District 22), Mike Payton (District 31), Rick Altman (At-Large), James Gibbs (At-Large) and Don Barnett (At-Large). In addition, the UMWA has three International auditor/tellers: Jody Dukart (Canada), Tanya James (East) and Bob Butero (West).
Members Work As: Coal miners, manufacturing workers, clean coal technicians, health care workers, corrections officers and public employees.
Industries Represented: The mining industry, public employees, manufacturing, health care, the Navajo Nation, and retirees throughout the United States and Canada.
History: Founded in 1890, the United Mine Workers of America has been a driving force in the American labor movement for more than 130 years. From securing the eight-hour workday to leading strikes that demanded safer working conditions, fair wages and dignity on the job, the UMWA has always stood on the front lines for working families.
The UMWA didn’t just help build the labor movement; it created it. As a founding force behind the AFL-CIO, the UMWA helped form the foundation of the largest and most powerful federation of unions in the United States. Without the UMWA, we wouldn’t have the labor powerhouse we know today.
Through generations of struggle and solidarity, from the Ludlow and Matewan massacres to the Pittston strike, the UMWA has remained a symbol of strength, resilience and unwavering commitment to workers, especially in rural America.
Watch this video to learn more:
Current Campaigns/Community Efforts: Preserving Coal Country, Powering Saskatchewan’s Future, Silica Dust Kills, UMWA associate memberships.