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30 Arrested During WV Patriot Coal Protest
By: Associated Press
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Thirty people have been arrested during a United Mine Workers of America protest against Patriot Coal in West Virginia.
UMWA President Cecil Roberts and AFL-CIO Vice President Arlene Holt-Baker are among those arrested.
The UMWA says 5,000 people attended Tuesday's protest in Fairmont.
They came from Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard told the crowd that every union is threatened if Patriot gets away with shedding legacy costs and breaking promises.
Last week, Patriot said it's imposing less severe wage and benefit cuts on its miners than it could have under a court ruling. The company also said it will keep retired workers' health plans unchanged for the next two months.