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

DATE: SATURDAY, June 16, 1990                   TAG: 9006180323
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

UMW UNITY STRENGTH WAS UNDERESTIMATED

NOTWITHSTANDING the objections of Paul Douglas, chief executive officer of Pittston, your staff did a good job covering the coal strike; the recent special section was an effective summary from the regional angle. Editorially, your newspaper underestimated the United Mine Workers' strength of unity just as the Wall Street analysts did.

It seems ludicrous for Pittston Chairman Douglas to complain about the UMW's decision to pull out of negotiations in June 1989.

At the time, negotiations had been under way for 18 months, with little movement in Pittston's "take it or leave it" bargaining position. Douglas had refused numerous invitations to personally join the talks. The company had snubbed a UMW arrangement to submit to a supermediator in January 1989, three months before the strike was called.

Clearly, Pittston stonewalled because it thought it could bust the union. Then the miners struck and the company found out how unified and well-organized the workers and their communities were.

Your special section made scant mention of the wildcat strikes that spread to 10 states in support of the Pittston miners. The news media in general seemed unable to explain this spontaneous action by the U.S. labor movement that made the Pittston strike an event of international proportions. Much more attention was paid to a simultaneous strike by Soviet miners.

Could it be that our corporate-owned news media is worried about sweeping solidarity actions by free labor-unions in this country?

\ JOHN ENAGONIO\ BLACKSBURG

by CNB