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HUNTINGTON, Utah (AP) -- Forty-nine miners who claimed they were locked out and fired when they sought United Mine Workers representation marched to the mine to submit acceptance to return notices.
Accompanied by 100 supporters, they marched Tuesday to the mine owned by the polygamist Kingston clan, The Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News reported.
They were among 75 workers, mostly Mexican immigrants, at C.W. Mining's Co-op Mine near Huntington who reached a settlement with the Kingstons that allows them to return to work. The settlement reached through the National Labor Relations Board entitles the miners to back pay for the time lost since the purposed Sept. 22 lockout.
Under terms of the agreement, the miners will return to work Monday, reinstated to their former, or substantially equivalent, jobs.
The settlement stipulates that the mine does not admit to any unfair labor practice. On Tuesday, C.W. officials continued to assert that the miners are paid fairly and that the mine stands up to safety requirements.
"They have made several allegations, all of which have been investigated by MSHA (the Mine Safety and Health Administration), which concluded that there were no safety violations," said Charles Reynolds, C.W. Mine's personnel manager. "We have an excellent record with MSHA, which can be verified."
The mine managers contend the miners refused to return to work after two miners were disciplined for job-related issues, and they say there never was a lockout.
C.W. also contends that it has an exclusive collective bargaining agreement through the International Association of United Workers Union,
The miners claim that union is a puppet organization for the Kingstons.
One issue that remains to be resolved is who will be able to vote on union representation.
Owners, managers and supervisors are barred from voting in union elections.
Some of the miners are members of the Kingstons, and the UMWA argues they should not vote as workers as they are part-owners of the mine.
That will be up to the NLRB to decide.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
