P.M. BRIEFING : Miners End Sit-In at Pittston Coal
A large Pittston Coal Group processing plant occupied by striking miners for three days in a contract dispute resumed production today and union workers said they have accomplished their aim.
“We came, we saw, we conquered, we left,” said United Mine Workers member Joe Main.
Since Sunday, when 98 striking miners and a clergyman entered the plant and locked themselves inside the control room, huge crowds of fellow miners had massed at the gates of the plant to cheer them on. The 99 inside had vowed to stay 10 days--at a cost to Pittston of about $500,000 a day--but a federal judge ordered the miners to vacate the plant by 7 p.m. Wednesday. Federal marshals, however, made no move to remove the miners and priest. But 2 1/2 hours after the deadline, UMW Vice President Cecil Roberts, carrying an American flag, led the “shareholders brigade” out of the facility.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
