Coal miners forced to attend Romney event and donate to campaign - Polidicks

[IMG]http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/8e/1f/8e1fa9f044c10bf99d604e0493d9d392.jpg[/IMG] [QUOTE]On August 14, 2012, Mitt Romney held a campaign event in Beallsville, Ohio that featured coal miners as a back drop from the Century Mine. Yesterday, on WWVA talk radio, host David Blomquist read e-mails from coal miners who work for the Century Mine, which is owned by Murray Energy Corporation. In the e-mails, miners said that they were forced to attend the campaign rally, without pay, and had to donate to the Romney campaign. Bloomquist said that he had received several e-mails and calls to his show about the intimidation being used against them. Blomquist interviewed Rob Moore the Chief Financial Officer for Murray Energy Corporation on his talk show to address the complaints by the miners. David Blomquist told Moore that miners feared for their jobs if they did not attend the Romney event, and then read one of the e-mails from the miners: [I]“Yes, we were in fact told that the Romney event was mandatory and would be without pay, that the hours spent there would need to be made up my non-salaried employees outside of regular working hours, with the only other option being to take a pay cut for the equivalent time,” the employees told Blomquist. “Yes, letters have gone around with lists of names of employees who have not attended or donated to political events.” “I realize that many people in this area and elsewhere would love to have my job or my benefits,” one worker explained. “And our bosses do not hesitate in reminding us of this. However, I cannot agree with these callers and my supervisors, who are saying that just because you have a good job, that you should have to work any day for free on almost no notice without your consent.” “We do not appreciate being intimidated into exchanging our time for nothing. I heard one of your callers saying that Murray employees are well aware of what they are getting into upon hire, or that they are informed that a percentage of their income will go to political donations. I cannot speak for that caller, but this is news for me. We merely find out how things work by experience.”[/I] CFO Rob Moore told Blomquist that the charges were untrue, and the following conversation between Moore and Blomquist took place: [I]Moore: “There were no workers that were forced to attend the event. We had managers that communicated to our work force that the attendance at the Romney event was mandatory, but no one was forced to attend the event. We had a preregistration list. And employees were asked to put their names on a preregistration list because they could not get into the event unless they were preregistered and had a name tag to enter the premises.” Blomquist: “What about not getting paid for an eight-hour day? If the mine was shut down for the visit, I understand, but wouldn’t it be fair, let’s use the word ‘fair’, to still pay these individuals for that day? I mean, it wasn’t their fault they weren’t working.” Moore: “Our management people wanted to attend the event and we could not have people underground during Romney’s visit”. Blomquist: “But why not still pay then their wage for that day?” Moore: “By federal election law, we could not pay people to attend the event. And we did not want anyone to come back and see where anyone had been paid for that day.” Blomquist: “I’m not saying pay them to attend the event, I’m saying, ‘Hey look, we have to close down the mine, if you want to attend this event, that’s fine, but you’re still going to get a day’s pay for the work that you would have done. Why not do that?” Moore: “As a private employer, it was our decision and we made the decision not to pay the people”. “We’re talking about an event that was in the best interest of anyone that’s related to the coal industry. I do not believe that missing an eight-hour day, when you put it into perspective, when you think about how critical this next election is, and how critical it is that we get someone in this office that supports coal, to give up eight hours for a career, I just don’t believe that there is anything negative about that.” [/I] Robert Murray, the CEO of Murray Energy Corporation received national attention in 2009 after his Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah collapsed, leaving six miners trapped inside. Government mine inspectors had issued 325 citations against the Utah mine since January 2004, according to federal Mine Safety and Health Administration online records. Murray is a large campaign donor for Republicans and runs a Super PAC called the Murray Energy Corporation Political Action Committee. The Super PAC has given $317,575.00 to various Republican campaigns, including Mitt Romney in 2012. This past June, Mitt Romney spoke to the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), and told them to threaten their employees and “make it very clear” that they must support his campaign or they could lose their jobs.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.examiner.com/article/coal-miners-forced-to-attend-romney-event-and-donate-to-campaign[/url]

yeah, because romney needs more money. those miners sure look happy.

Dear God next they'll have them working at their summer houses like the Simpsons, how absolutely disgusting.

[quote]Moore: “By federal election law, we could not pay people to attend the event. And we did not want anyone to come back and see where anyone had been paid for that day.” Blomquist: “I’m not saying pay them to attend the event, I’m saying, ‘Hey look, we have to close down the mine, if you want to attend this event, that’s fine, but you’re still going to get a day’s pay for the work that you would have done. Why not do that?” Moore: “As a private employer, it was our decision and we made the decision not to pay the people”.[/quote] you fucked up. you're fucked up

"I realize that many people in this area and elsewhere would love to have my job or my benefits,” one worker explained. “And our bosses do not hesitate in reminding us of this. However, I cannot agree with these callers and my supervisors, who are saying that just because you have a good job, that you should have to work any day for free on almost no notice without your consent." Reminded me of that one quote a union man back in the late 1800s/early 1900s said, "Men should work to live, not live to work"

And, without fail, another demonstration of the horridness of American politics shows up. Why can't we have a normal election for once?

[QUOTE=Primigenes;37451297]How come they didn't get to clean up before coming?[/QUOTE] Because they wouldn't look like hard working Americans then.

I really hope this becomes a big story. This is a lot more fucked up than most of the shit the GOP has pulled.

[QUOTE=Primigenes;37451297]How come they didn't get to clean up before coming?[/QUOTE] They look like they crawled out of the mine, yet wasn't it closed for the day?

[QUOTE=venn178;37451340]I really hope this becomes a big story. This is a lot more fucked up than most of the shit the GOP has pulled.[/QUOTE] It's not necessarily the GOP that did this. The villain in this story is the bosses who run the mine, not Romney.

Had I been one of those miners I would have said "I'm not going. If you don't like that, tough fucking luck. And if it costs me my job, good riddance, because I don't want to work for a goddamn dictator that thinks he can tell me what politician to support."

[QUOTE=TestECull;37451364]Had I been one of those miners I would have said "I'm not going. If you don't like that, tough fucking luck. And if it costs me my job, good riddance, because I don't want to work for a goddamn dictator that thinks he can tell me what politician to support."[/QUOTE] Kind of hard when you have a family to feed and a chance of losing everything if you can't find a replacement job soon.

It isn't Romneys fault, its the coal miners bosses fault.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;37451367]Kind of hard when you have a family to feed and a chance of losing everything if you can't find a replacement job soon.[/QUOTE] My integrity is worth more. I'm not going to be forced into supporting the candidate that's going to set the country back three or four decades, even if that means living off ramen noodles for a month and a half.

[QUOTE=TestECull;37451384]My integrity is worth more. I'm not going to be forced into supporting the candidate that's going to set the country back three or four decades, even if that means living off ramen noodles for a month and a half.[/QUOTE] I think they wouldn't be working as coal miners if they had better opportunities available. I.E. your integrity will turn into inevitable homelessness.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;37451363]It's not necessarily the GOP that did this. The villain in this story is the bosses who run the mine, not Romney.[/QUOTE] I still have a hard time believing someone high up in the campaign trail didn't know about it.

[QUOTE=TestECull;37451384]My integrity is worth more. I'm not going to be forced into supporting the candidate that's going to set the country back three or four decades, even if that means living off ramen noodles for a month and a half.[/QUOTE] You mean living off of [I]nothing[/I] for a month. Along with your wife and kids living off of [I]nothing[/I] for a month. [editline]29th August 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=venn178;37451394]I still have a hard time believing someone high up in the campaign trail didn't know about it.[/QUOTE] Assumptions aren't credible. As hard is it may be, you can't blame every fuck up like this in America on the GOP. They aren't a master villain organization.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;37451395]You mean living off of [I]nothing[/I] for a month. Along with your wife and kids living off of [I]nothing[/I] for a month.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Protocol7;37451393]I think they wouldn't be working as coal miners if they had better opportunities available. I.E. your integrity will turn into inevitable homelessness.[/QUOTE] I love how both of you are assuming that I wouldn't have some savings waiting for just such a thing. I'm not daft, I'd have three or four months worth banked up to cover things while I found new work...[i]especially if I was a miner[/i]. Anyone who doesn't bank up a few months to live on if they lose their job is daft as fuck, even if you're in a stable job. Miners don't have stable jobs, that mine could easily be shut down without any notice for any myriad of reasons.

[QUOTE=TestECull;37451406]I love how both of you are assuming that I wouldn't have some savings waiting for just such a thing. I'm not daft, I'd have three or four months worth banked up to cover things while I found new work...[I]especially if I was a miner[/I].[/QUOTE] And the miners aren't you. The whole "well I would have done this" isn't really a valid argument.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;37451395]Assumptions aren't credible. As hard is it may be, you can't blame every fuck up like this in America on the GOP. They aren't a master villain organization.[/QUOTE] Some of the shit they say, you have to wonder. In any case, there should be some kind of backlash towards the company.

[QUOTE=Protocol7;37451413]And the miners aren't you. The whole "well I would have done this" isn't really a valid argument.[/QUOTE] Anyone who doesn't bank up 3-4 months of money to live on if they lose their job is monumentally dumb. It doesn't matter what industry you work in. The economy is too shitty to truly trust in having that job the next day, you need to have some savings on hand. Hell even when the economy is booming you should still have that savings sitting around.

[QUOTE=TestECull;37451406]I love how both of you are assuming that I wouldn't have some savings waiting for just such a thing. I'm not daft, I'd have three or four months worth banked up to cover things while I found new work...[i]especially if I was a miner[/i]. Anyone who doesn't bank up a few months to live on if they lose their job is daft as fuck, even if you're in a stable job. Miners don't have stable jobs, that mine could easily be shut down without any notice for any myriad of reasons.[/QUOTE] Because a few thousand saved will definitely pay bills off for years. You clearly have no idea how expensive and tight budgets are for yourself alone, let alone a whole family. [editline]29th August 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=TestECull;37451421]Anyone who doesn't bank up 3-4 months of money to live on if they lose their job is monumentally dumb. It doesn't matter what industry you work in. The economy is too shitty to truly trust in having that job the next day, you need to have some savings on hand. Hell even when the economy is booming you should still have that savings sitting around.[/QUOTE] Do you honestly think you would be able to save millions in accounts in a matter of months? Because that's what you sound like.

[QUOTE=TestECull;37451421]Anyone who doesn't bank up 3-4 months of money to live on if they lose their job is monumentally dumb. It doesn't matter what industry you work in. The economy is too shitty to truly trust in having that job the next day, you need to have some savings on hand. Hell even when the economy is booming you should still have that savings sitting around.[/QUOTE] Right, so my parents who are working hard to pay off credit card debt, insurance, bills, groceries, etc are dumb because they don't have 3-4 months worth of money to live off of. Screw the fact they've paid over 3/4 of their debt in two years and are still able to help put two kids through college. Savings is a luxury most people don't have.

[QUOTE=TestECull;37451421]Anyone who doesn't bank up 3-4 months of money to live on if they lose their job is monumentally dumb. It doesn't matter what industry you work in. The economy is too shitty to truly trust in having that job the next day, you need to have some savings on hand. Hell even when the economy is booming you should still have that savings sitting around.[/QUOTE] Does you're political opinion matter over the well being of your family?

[QUOTE=TestECull;37451421]Anyone who doesn't bank up 3-4 months of money to live on if they lose their job is monumentally dumb.[/QUOTE] 3-4 months of money to live on holy shit do you know how much money that is for some people? do you not understand how many people in the US live under the poverty line?

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;37451427]Because a few thousand saved will definitely pay bills off for years.[/quote][QUOTE=TestECull;37451421]Anyone who doesn't bank up [b]3-4 months of money[/b] to live on if they lose their job is monumentally dumb. [/QUOTE] Fucking hell you're bad at reading. [quote]Do you honestly think you would be able to save millions in accounts in a matter of months? Because that's what you sound like.[/QUOTE] Why the fuck would you bank millions in accounts for this? You only need ~$5,000 or so. Maybe $10,000 if you have lots of bills. If you can bank millions in accounts you don't need to work more than a few months out of the year.

Thats about $10,000 savings, for the normal person that is way to much unused money that could go to other things like bills.

[QUOTE=TestECull;37451449]Fucking hell you're bad at reading. Why the fuck would you bank millions in accounts for this? You only need ~$5,000 or so. Maybe $10,000 if you have lots of bills. If you can bank millions in accounts you don't need to work more than a few months out of the year.[/QUOTE] I can't wait to see you go out into the real world; to see your face when this fantasy of yours is shattered by cold, hard reality of life.

[QUOTE=TestECull;37451449]Fucking hell you're bad at reading. Why the fuck would you bank millions in accounts for this? You only need ~$5,000 or so. Maybe $10,000 if you have lots of bills. If you can bank millions in accounts you don't need to work more than a few months out of the year.[/QUOTE] I can personally guarantee that every single one of those miners is damn near close to living from paycheck to paycheck. It'd take years to save up 3-4 months worth of money, and that's assuming [I]nothing[/I] unplanned happens during those years.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;37451464]I can't wait to see you go out into the real world; to see your face when this fantasy of yours is shattered by cold, hard reality of life.[/QUOTE] Fantasy? Really? I'm not gonna argue with you any further. You just keep on living life bending over for your employers like a little robot. [QUOTE=thisispain;37451444]3-4 months of money to live on holy shit do you know how much money that is for some people? do you not understand how many people in the US live under the poverty line?[/QUOTE][QUOTE=Protocol7;37451484]I can personally guarantee that every single one of those miners is damn near close to living from paycheck to paycheck. It'd take years to save up 3-4 months worth of money, and that's assuming [I]nothing[/I] unplanned happens during those years.[/QUOTE] It isn't that difficult. One of my friends has 15K sitting idle for a rainy day, and he's living paycheck to paycheck too. He could live for six months on that alone, and he's got a wife to take care of as well. It's really simple to save up a rainy day fund. Just don't buy a big-ass fucking flatscreen the moment you get a job, don't take out four credit cards, don't buy a $35,000 sedan when a $3500 one will do the job just as well, and generally don't be a moron with your money. Before you know it you'll have a rainy day fund that will keep the lights on for a couple of months. Fucking hell, this isn't rocket science. But I'm not gonna argue it any further. If you lot want to keep living under the assumption that you'll have work the next day feel free. Me? Personally? I'll bank up every spare cent I have.