Solidarity with Blair Mountain

Last June, KFTC members marched in solidarity with hundreds of West Virginia residents to call for the protection of historic Blair Mountain, an end to mountaintop removal mining, strengthened labor rights and a clean local economy for Appalachia.

Today, Blair Mountain is facing imminent threats. Residents of Blair, West Virginia have noticed increased activity from mining company Arch Coal around Blair Mountain -- site of the largest labor uprising in U.S. history. Residents are becoming increasingly concerned about Arch's activities and fear they will move forward with plans to mine the historic location. Arch Coal has four planned operations on Blair Mountain, some of which intrude onto the Blair Mountain Battlefield.

People in Blair and allies throughout Appalachia are calling for a Day of Action today to stop Arch's plans. This action corresponds with today's announcement by this multi-billion dollar company of record sales and growing profits in 2011.

The company has a responsibility to the communities and workers from which it makes those profits. Folks in Blair, West Virginia and the Kentucky communities where Arch (including its recent purchase of ICG)  is allowed to mine won't stand to have their communities and history destroyed just so Arch can increase its profit margin.

ACTION: Call Arch CEO, Steven Leer on Friday, February 10 and tell him that Appalachian communities should not fall victim to pad his profit margin.
 
Call Arch's St. Louis headquarters: (314) 994-2700
Call Arch's Charleston, WV headquarters: (304) 760-2400
 
To allow Arch Coal to destroy Blair Mountain would be to tear out a crucial page of U.S. labor history and burn it. But even more important than the history are the lives of the people living at the foot of this mountain today.
 
SUGGESTED CALL SCRIPT:
Hello, my name is ____ and I am calling to ask you to abandon your plans to mine the historic Blair Mountain. The whole world is watching, and I am calling on your corporation to do the right thing and stop the destruction of Blair Mountain, along with all other mountains and communities in Appalachia. Mountaintop removal mining is wrong and harmful to the people and communities below it. Please cease and desist from your Blair Mountain plans.