ROANOKE TIMES 

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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 14, 1993                   TAG: 9307140454
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: GRUNDY                                LENGTH: Short

COAL STRIKE BEGINS PEACEFULLY

Virginia's first coal strike in four years is starting out small compared with the last one, with only about a dozen pickets at each of the three mines involved.

No problems were reported on the picket lines during the first 18 hours of the strike against CONSOL Inc. in Buchanan County, where about 800 miners walked out at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

"The mines are shut down and not producing coal, so there aren't any problems," state police Sgt. Curtis L. Bailey said.

United Mine Workers spokesman Jim Grossfeld said Tuesday the union anticipated that none of the companies will try to produce coal by hiring replacement workers.

- Associated Press 


 by CNB