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How Kentucky Is Failing Its Workers
While most of the Meade County public works crew finished their lunches, Pius “Gene” Hobbs was raking along the edge of the road, oblivious to the dump truck backing quickly… Read More
Pensions At The Polls: Will Concern Over Shaky Plans Show Up On Election Day?
Thousands of union coal miners and their families gathered this summer in Columbus, Ohio, wielding signs and wearing camouflage United Mine Workers of America shirts. UMWA President Cecil Roberts led… Read More
Miners Urge Congressional Action On Pensions, Black Lung Fund
Retired coal miners and coal community activists are on Capitol Hill this week urging action on two important issues for miners: pensions and black lung benefits. Advocates say funds supporting… Read More
Safer Direction? Top Mine Regulator Addresses Concerns About Dust And Deaths In Coal
As President Trump attempts to revive the struggling coal industry, the administration’s top regulator for mine safety used a recent lecture at West Virginia University to lay out his priorities… Read More
Teachers To Mount Insurgency At Kentucky’s Campaign Kickoff
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — As Republicans in Congress prepare for a possible backlash this fall against President Donald Trump, their counterparts in the Kentucky legislature are grappling with a similar… Read More
Solving The ‘Wage Puzzle’: Why Aren’t Paychecks Growing?
The job market is booming and the economy is expanding. So why aren’t wages keeping pace? That’s the wage puzzle, and some economists and employers offer explanations they say help explain it.
Behind The Campaign To Get Teachers To Leave Their Unions
Well-funded groups are spreading the word: Teachers no longer have to support the union that represents them.
Pension Problems: Lawmakers Warn Of Economic Fallout From Failing Pensions
United Mine Workers President Cecil Roberts fired up a crowd of thousands of union workers in Columbus, Ohio, with a simple chant: “Fix it!” The rally last week came on… Read More
Supreme Court Deals Blow To Government Unions
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday 5-4 that states may not force public employees to pay agency fees to unions of which they are not a member.
White House Proposes Merging Education And Labor Departments
The pitch goes all-in on workforce development.
West Virginia Jobless Rate Remains Unchanged In May
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was at 5.4 percent in May, the eighth straight month the rate has been unchanged. WorkForce West Virginia says the… Read More
Trump’s Delay On Tariff Decision Disappoints Regional Steelmakers
Regional iron and steel industry leaders say they are disappointed by the Trump administration’s delay on a decision about which countries will face new import tariffs. President Trump has postponed until… Read More
Teachable Moment: What Teacher Protests Portend For Schools, Labor And Elections
When Oklahoma teacher Sally Salmons saw momentum building toward teacher protests in her state, she immediately reached out to family ties and educators in West Virginia. She said teacher walkouts… Read More
Tariff-ic Impact: Ohio Valley Awaits Trump Decision On Steel, Aluminum
The Ohio Valley was once synonymous with steel. Even after the industry’s sharp decline the region is still home to many industries that produce or use steel and aluminum. Those… Read More
Miners’ Pensions A Major Part Of Spending Debate
Retired union coal miners are joining teamsters, iron workers and other union retirees in an effort to shore up their ailing pension plans, and they hope the ticking clock on… Read More
Gutting Guest Worker Rights: Migrant Labor Bill Cuts Protections
Roberto Gonzales and six other workers came from Nayarit, Mexico, to work on a Garrard County, Kentucky, tobacco farm using a guest worker program called the H-2A visa. The Department of… Read More
Controversial Mine Safety Nominee Faces Final Vote
A Senate vote is scheduled for Wednesday on confirmation for President Trump’s nominee to lead the Mine Safety and Health Administration, or MSHA. The country’s top mine safety position has… Read More
Striking Migrant Farm Workers Win Settlement
After about three weeks on strike, a group of migrant workers employed at a tobacco farm in Gerrard County, Kentucky have reached a settlement with the farm’s owner. The workers came… Read More
On Strike: Migrant Workers On Visa Program Claim Unfair Pay
Workers on a tobacco farm in Garrard County, Kentucky, are entering the third week of a strike over claims that they have not received the pay guaranteed by a federal… Read More
Trying Times For Transit: Rural Systems Face Flat Funding And Rising Demand
Thelma Daulton goes to the salon to get her hair done at the same time every Friday. She gets picked up at her house and greeted by one of many… Read More
“Matewan” Revisited: Film Unearthed Region’s Buried Labor History
Thirty years ago the premiere of a small-budget, independent film had an out-sized effect on how many people in Appalachian coal country thought about their region and their past. “Matewan,” directed… Read More
Coal Fatalities Rise: Miner Deaths Increase Amid Low Coal Employment
A rash of fatal coal mining accidents in the Ohio Valley region pushed the nation’s total number of mining deaths to a level not seen since 2015, sparking concern among… Read More
Taking Flight: Ohio Valley’s Aerospace Exports Take Top Dollars
From the outside Summit Aviation, in the small town of Somerset, Kentucky, looks like any other nondescript, white warehouse. But inside workers craft parts for drones, weapons casings, wing stabilizers… Read More
Mind The Gap: Why The ‘Wage Gap’ Still Divides Us On Payday
McKenzie Cantrell is an employment lawyer affiliated with the Maxwell Street Legal Clinic, in Lexington, Kentucky, where she works with low-income refugees and immigrants to uncover instances of wage theft… Read More
New Mural Depicts Region’s Labor History
A Bronx mural artist and students from the Ohio University printmaking department have depicted the region’s labor history in a new mural in downtown Athens. Artist Chris Stain was brought… Read More