Meet Your Release Staff: Marlon Whoolery, UMWA

UMWA release staff Marlon Whoolery was born and raised in Fairchance in Southwestern Pennsylvania.  He comes out of UMWA Local 1980 and worked in the Dillworth Mine in Greene County from 1977-1996, which is owned by Consolidated Coal.  He is now an international representative for UMWA Region 1 which includes Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia in the United States, and Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in Canada.

As a Labor 2008 release staff for Zone 9 in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Whoolery is both focused on mobilizing the union vote behind endorsed candidate for President Barack Obama and also supporting State Representative Bill DeWeese in the 50th State House District. 

“Bill DeWeese has always been a supporter of union issues.  The mining laws in Pennsylvania, for example, had not been updated since 1961.  Technological advances have changed mining in many ways in the last forty years and we need the laws to reflect that.  Just about two months ago, thanks to DeWeese and other Democrats that worked with us, we were able to develop new mining laws to make mining safer.” 

“One part of the new law provides a 750 feet rule regarding the tracks in the mine.  That means that there cannot be more than 750 feet between a miner and the tracks that provide the only means of escape from the mine in case of an injury or accident.  Before this new law there were not any regulations about that and so just getting an injured miner out of the mine could be very difficult.  That is the kind of legislation that UMWA makes a priority and an example of how Bill DeWeese supports the members of the labor movement.”

“The Employee Free Choice Act and the Million Member Mobilization Petition are also big priorities for the UMWA and the Labor 2008 program.  Mineworkers are taking a very active role in gathering signatures for the Million Member Mobilization Petition.  We are visiting all of our work sites and getting all our workers to sign the pledge cards and we endorse candidates who pledge their support or agree to co-sponsor or sign it.”

“In Pennsylvania, where in the past the vast majority of minworkers had unions, the number of non-union mines in growing.  My primary responsibility with our union, as an international representative, is organizing.  The company will fire people on a daily basis if they have to in order to stop workers from having a free and fair decision on whether to form a union.  The Employee Free Choice Act will give workers the right to freely form unions and to bargain fairly with companies once they do.”

“That is why Barack Obama is the only choice this year for working men and women.  He will sign the Employee Free Choice Act when it reaches his desk.  If you work for a living then Barack Obama is your candidate.  He is from a coal mining state, he supports laws for the use of coal and clean coal. John McCain has done nothing for working people and furthermore he believes in “Right To Work” For Less legislation.  He is not for working families.”

“I urge all union members to get out and participate.  Signing the Employee Free Choice Act and voting for Barack Obama in the Fall is a start.  But getting out and talking to other union members about these important issues is crucial as well.  Even though the labor movement does not make up the entire population of working people in this country we have the numbers and the structure to be the difference.  With union member participation in the Labor 2008 program we can be the voice of change this year.”