Suuporting the UMWA on Coal Mine Memorial - Hon. Jerry F. Costello

SUPPORTING THE UMWA ON COAL MINE MEMORIAL-HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO (Extensions of Remarks - July 21, 2004)

HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO
OF ILLINOIS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the United Mineworkers of America (UMWA) who over the last two days have been participating in a coal mine memorial.

The UMWA has called for a nationwide two-day memorial, shutting down all the union mines in the U.S. to symbolize the importance of a federal court decision expected sometime this week. This decision has the potential to impact the fate of health care benefits for 250 working miners at the Zeigler 11 mine near Coulterville, Illinois and hundreds of retired coal miners in my congressional district.

These people have worked hard to earn benefits and a pension to sustain them and their families through retirement. Yet, the way our laws are structured, we allow companies to get out of their responsibilities to these hardworking Americans and their families. This is unfortunately happening more and more across our country and it needs to stop.

Health care has gone from a matter of concern to a crisis of major proportion. Seniors are splitting their pills to make their medications last. People will not go to a doctor because they cannot afford it. We have more than 40 million people who are uninsured. Health care has become a crisis in America.

There is a historical commitment to providing health care for retired coal miners and we must continue that commitment. Mr. Speaker, the people that are in jeopardy of losing their health care spent their careers producing the energy which powers this nation. We must not turn our backs on them now. We must not allow them to be robbed of the health care they so desperately deserve and need.