Warner, Virginia Miners Rally in D.C. to Ensure that Retired Coal Miners Get the Health and Pension Benefits they have Earned

Press Release

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) joined United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) President Cecil Roberts, thousands of retired coal miners, and their families in Washington today to push Congress to protect miners' hard-earned pension and health benefits.

At issue is a UMWA pension plan supporting 120,000 retired coal miners across the country, including an estimated 10,000 in Virginia, that is currently at risk of running out of money in the coming months unless Congress acts. Eight busloads of retired coal miners from Southwest Virginia came to the U.S. Capitol to rally in support of the Miners Protection Act, bipartisan legislation sponsored by Sen. Warner that would take leftover funds from a federal government program that cleans up abandoned mines to shore up the underfunded health insurance and pension plan.

Without the legislation, thousands of retired coal miners -- including nearly 20,000 retirees whose companies filed for bankruptcy last year alone -- face the prospect of significant cuts to their pensions and health care.

The Senate Finance Committee, of which Sen. Warner is a member, is scheduled to consider the legislation next week, and the miners are hopeful that the full Senate will follow to save the pension plan from bankruptcy.

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