Last Thursday, around 1,100 coal miners at Warrior Met Coal in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, went on strike. According to the union, the United Mine Workers of America, a tentative bargaining agreement has now been reached with the company, but workers must still vote on whether or not to ratify it. In order to cover this important strike and spread these workers' stories, we've teamed up with our brothers-in-arms Jacob Morrison, a union organizer and cohost of the outstanding Valley Labor Report, Alabama's only weekly labor radio talk show, and the incredible musician Lee Bains III of The Glory Fires. Jacob and Lee went down to the Warrior Met Coal picket line this weekend to talk with striking miners, play some music, and show solidarity. In this special episode, we've compiled clips from Lee's live performance as well as Jacob's interviews on the picket line and at the local UMWA union hall. 

 

Additional links/info below...

• United Mine Workers of America website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
• Jacob's Twitter page
• The Valley Labor Report YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter page, and Patreon
• Lee's Twitter page 
• The Glory Fires' website, Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter page
• William Thornton, com, "1,100 West Alabama Mine Workers Announce Plan to Go on Strike"
• Jason Morton, The Tuscaloosa News, "Union Announces Strike for Brookwood Miners at Warrior Met Coal"
• Jason Morton, The Tuscaloosa News, "Union Announces Tentative Deal to End Brookwood Coal Mine Strike"
• UMWA Press Release: "Tentative Agreement Reached at Warrior Met"

 

Permanent links below...

• Working People Patreon page
• Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
• Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
• In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
• The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

 

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)

• Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"
• Lee Bains III, live performance at Warrior Met Coal strike (April 2021)
• Jules Taylor, “Cradle to the Grave”