![Coal miners in Brookwood leave the No. 5 mine following a shift in 2002. [Staff file photo/Jason Getz]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/04/01/NTTN/c8854e94-45d8-4789-8071-3c288f2a706b-23miners1.JPG?width=660&height=422&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
It appears the Brookwood coal miner strike may be nearing its end.
The United Mine Workers of America announced that a tentative collective bargaining agreement has been reached between the union and Warrior Met Coal Inc., where more than 1,100 miners have been on strike since April 1.
“I am so very proud of our members at Warrior Met for standing up for themselves, their families and their communities,” Cecil E. Roberts, president of UMWA International, said in a news release. “Going on strike is a difficult thing to do, but they have shown tremendous unity on the picket lines.
“Their story is being told across the world right now, and it is one of strength, determination and solidarity.”
Citing unfair labor practices, the miners took to the picket line last Thursday night after an agreement between the union members and Brookwood-based Warrior Met Coal could not be reached.
Roberts said in a news release announcing the strike that the union had filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board relating to Warrior Met’s conduct during negotiations.
“Despite repeated attempts by our negotiating team to bridge the differences we have at the bargaining table, Warrior Met is going backwards,” Roberts said in the announcement. “We have always been ready to reach a fair agreement that recognizes the sacrifices our members and their families made to keep this company alive.
“At this point, Warrior Met is not.”
Now, however, those issues may be resolved.
The union said it would not release details of the agreement until its members have heard them and held a ratification vote. The process to ratify the agreement is expected to begin on Wednesday, when meetings will be held to explain the updated contract terms to the union members.
In accordance with the UMWA's constitution, a ratification vote will be held 48 hours after the explanation meetings at each local union among dues-paying members in good standing.
This vote is set for Friday, and the results will be announced as soon as it is certified by the UMWA’s auditor/tellers.
“The decision to begin this strike rested with me. The decision to end the strike now rests with the membership of the union at Warrior Met,” Roberts said. “If they ratify this tentative agreement, the strike will end and they will have a new contract. If they do not ratify it, the strike will continue and we will seek further negotiations with the company.”
A comment from Warrior Met Coal was not immediately available, but the company said last week that its negotiation position has been meant to protect the company as well as the long-term employment of its 1,400 or so workers.
Through Erin Vogt, director of public relations for PERITUS public relations, Warrior Met Coal said a declining coal market as well as the global coronavirus pandemic were examples of industry conditions for which Warrior Met Coal is trying to remain prepared.
“We have and will continue to work with the UMWA to reach a resolution …,” Vogt said once the strike began. “Throughout negotiations, our sight has remained on the future – to provide our employees with a competitive package while protecting jobs and the longevity of the company and its workforce.
“History has shown that we must remain vigilant in preparing for the volatility of coal prices.”
Warrior Met Coal, which focuses primarily on the mining of nonthermal metallurgical coal for use in the steel production process by manufacturers in Europe, South America and Asia, was created following the 2015 bankruptcy of Jim Walter Resources and its parent company, Walter Energy.
That year, Walter Energy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, indicating it had around $3 billion in debt with its major holdings in the state being the Jim Walter Resources underground coal mines in Brookwood as well as the rights to unmined coal fields elsewhere in Tuscaloosa and neighboring counties.
In January 2016, the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama approved the sale of Walter Energy to Warrior Met Coal, then operating as Coal Acquisition LLC, which was formed by Walter Energy’s senior creditors during the bankruptcy proceedings.
Warrior Met Coal went on to hire more than 1,000 miners in 18 months, including 350 hourly miners and 150 salaried employees for a new, $19 million portal facility on the company’s No. 7 mine, and last year the company announced another 350 new jobs with an investment of more than $500 million with plans to construct and develop a new underground coal mining facility off Brandon School Road in north Tuscaloosa County.
Warrior Met recently reported a loss of about $35 million for last year compared to net income of $302 million for 2019. Citing uncertainty created by the global pandemic, the company did not release financial guidance for 2021.
Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com.