ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 21, 1990                   TAG: 9004210168
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLESTON, W.VA.                                 LENGTH: Medium

COAL STRIKE HEARING 'CIRCUS' PREDICTED

The National Labor Relations Board will take its illegal-strike case against the United Mine Workers to court in 12 cities beginning next week, but a UMW official says the board's action will do nothing but create a "circus."

Numerous coal companies filed NLRB complaints against the UMW during wildcat strikes that began last June and lasted six weeks in support of the UMW's walkout against Pittston Coal Group. The 1,700-miner Pittston strike began last April and ended in February.

At one point, more than 46,000 miners in 10 states were off the job. The UMW, which called the Pittston strike, disavowed responsibility for the wildcat walkouts.

The NLRB has consolidated all of the complaints into one case, despite objections from the UMW, in which it claims the union engaged in a secondary boycott of the coal industry.

Such secondary boycotts are outlawed by federal law, but the NLRB must prove that union leaders organized them.

The labor board is seeking an injunction to prevent the UMW from repeating such action, attorneys in the case said, and also might seek fines.

"The NLRB is laying groundwork to take heavy action against the union," said Fred Holroyd, a coal industry lawyer not involved in the case.

The initial hearing will be held Monday in U.S. District Court in Abingdon, Va., to be followed by hearings in Charleston, Fairmont and Beckley in West Virginia; London, Owensboro and Pikeville in Kentucky; St. Clairsville, Ohio; Pittsburgh; St. Louis; Evansville, Ind.; and Birmingham, Ala.

"It's going to be a circus," said Chuck Donnelly, an attorney for UMW District 17.

The NLRB has noted that the case, if not settled out of court, "will take more than 200 days of trial," and, with the lengthy appeals process, might be in court for years. 


 by CNB