Ex-miner recalls Sago: 'It was a hellhole'

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | Friday, January 6, 2006 | Robin Acton

[nfldgirl]

Interesting...last night I saw several miners from the Sago Mine talking about working there, and all agreed that for the most part they felt safe working there. They all appeared to speak sincerely, not under duress or fear. That's not to say that the mine wasn't cited for violations, fined, etc. And what's not reported much at all is that the current company owning/working the mine just took it over back in November. Hopefully they've made strides in improvements since then but two months is hardly enough time to correct problems, especially major ones.

[Jaxter]

".. life in a union mine might be just as bad."

Exactly. I went out west in 1978 during a strike to look for work and the non-union mines I checked appeared to be much better places to work. The pay and benefits were better too.

[Cathy]

I agree that it is an occupation choice, these areas have had the same employment problems for decades. They are depressed economically and the younger generations tend to move away for that very reason.

However, mining is a skill and you don't just go in there with a shovel and stick and start pounding. Industrial workers are skilled.

[CindyDawg]

Do you know what happened yet? What caused the explosion?

[RobbyS]

Be that as it may, as an owner you owe it to your men to take care of them. Mark Hanna, one of the most misrepresented of all conservatives, took care of his men, and blamed all the labor troubles on the 1890s on businessmen who refused to do their duty, the main one being to invest in the proper equipment. It is a dangerous business, and the men do know the risk. But they, after all, are risking their lives, the owners only bankruptcy.

[norraad]

..skilled workers are killed by mid-level management monkeys skating by safety for carrot on string bonus promises by greedy idiots further up the food chain being promised the same.

[RobbyS]

This company sounds like it's getting a hack job by the media. Well, of course, but with power comes responsibility. The owner they interviewed on ABC had just got into the business and picked up the mine becaus there is, right now, an increasing demand for coal. But this is not like investing in oil. A coal mine is a dangerous thing.

[Jaxter]

"The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is not your typical knee-jerk liberal paper."

I live in Pittsburgh and know that the Trib is a good paper. Never said it wasn't. This reporter is obviously leading with what she thinks in sensational. If you read the article the headline is not justified.

"Truth be told, if this mine did have as serious safety issues as is claimed, it is something that should have been rectified."

You might find the following interesting.

From the MSHA website:

Question: Doesn’t the high number of citations against Sago Mine last year indicate that the operation was simply unsafe, an accident waiting to happen?

Answer: Of the 208 citations, orders and safeguards issued in 2005, none involved an immediate risk of injury. Less than half of the citations against Sago Mine in 2005 were for “significant and substantial” violations – and all but three have been corrected by the operator. The three remaining issues, which relate to roof control, were being addressed by the operator in compliance with the abatement provisions of the Mine Act.

[freeperfromnj]

This company sounds like it's getting a hack job by the media.

No matter what issue they are covering, the media (a) pretends to care and (b) finds it necessary to immediately assign blame. I started watching the special ABC ran last night. They had some interesting information but I had to turn it off about halfway into the show when they actually blamed the Bush Administration (Brian Ross, of course). I'm so tired of it all.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

"Knee deep water" ? BS. Underground mines rely on three phase electric power, big, big voltage.

[RobbyS]

Then when the Irish got too expensive, they brought in contract workers from Bohemia. The "Bohunks" were virtual slaves, sort of like the Chinese "coolies" who built the Central Pacific.

[Jaxter]

"Nobody forced them to go to work in the mines. Maybe if they had prepared themselves a little better with skills other than digging in a mine, they would not be in such situations."

Maybe you'd like to sit around in the dark and not have the ability to post stupid comments with your computer.

[brazzaville]

Good morning.
"Maybe if they had prepared themselves a little better with skills other than digging in a mine, they would not be in such situations."

Your FReeper page shows that you spent an inordinate amount of time working in JAG offices while in the military.

Being around lawyers does not make you superior and it doesn't give you the right to be a self righteous a$$.

Michael Frazier

[Stark_GOP]

I can believe that was said from the nutburgers you listed, but this was supposed to be a respectable government official. (Sorry didn't catch his name.)
He was claiming that the Bush administration was lacking on mining safety regulations.
BTW, how many times was this mine cited using those same safety regulations?
The tragic death of the miners made news because it was something unusual.

[TNdandelion]

LOL anyone got a towel?

[OldFriend]

This mine was under new ownership for the past month or so.

Any comments about the previous running of the mine are irrelevant.

Union workers have little to no credibility IMHO.

[don-o]

Thanks for ping. Also, a miner is quoted that the new owners were concerned about safety. A lot of the violations cited were under the former ownership. (and UMWA?)

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

Twigs, I agree with you. While being a coal miner isn't glamorous, it is a necessary job. The integrity of the coal miners - their bravery, their physical strength, their pride - inherent, regardless of their pay, isn't seen in too many occupations. Coal miners today are often generations deep in the mines, and it breaks my heart to hear that anyone would take a jab at them. Hopefully, RA, you didn't mean it as it sounded.

[OldFriend]

Any mention that the present owner of the mine, Wilbur Ross, is a big time donor to the democrat party. Big big supporter of X42.

He will be on FNC sometime this weekend, however, he is a frequent guest on all the cable stations.

[don-o]

I challenge anyone to find any manufacturing facility of any size in this nation, with heavy machinery that does not get dinged by OSHA once in a while.