Lucas,
It was a tragedy waiting to happen.
When a corporate scofflaw operates coal mines without meaningful government supervision, regulatory oversight or a unionized workforce, the tragic result is shattered families in the coal fields of West Virginia.
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| Tell Massey's board to fire Don Blankenship |
Sign the petition: Tell Massey's board of directors to fire Don Blankenship at www.FireBlankenship.org.
Last year, Public Citizen urged federal mine safety regulators to address the backlog of thousands of unheard safety violations - a backlog created in part by mine operators attempting to avoid accountability. We warned then that each day the backlog went unaddressed, the chances of another tragic mining accident increased.
Blankenship's Massey Energy is out of control. Since 2005, the Upper Big Branch Mine has been cited with more than 1,342 safety violations.1 Massey has become a leader in the highly destructive practice of mountaintop-removal mining, sometimes in violation of the Clean Water Act and other environmental laws.2 And Massey's miners have been threatened with being fired if they join a union, according to the United Mineworkers of America.3
Tell Massey's board of directors that Blankenship is the one who should be fired. Then forward this message to your friends, family, neighbors and colleagues.
Meanwhile, Blankenship has used his wealth to launch a $3 million campaign of reprehensible political ads smearing the reputation of a West Virginia Supreme Court justice while a $50 million judgment against Massey was before the court.4
We need a groundswell of public outrage to ensure that Don Blankenship is held accountable.
The first step is to remove Mr. Blankenship as Massey's CEO. Doing so is a step forward for corporate accountability and worker safety.
Please sign the petition at www.FireBlankenship.org today, and forward it widely.
Thank you.
Robert Weissman, President
Sources:
1. West Virginia mine has been cited for myriad safety violations. Washington Post. April 7, 2010
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/40081
2. President of United Mine Workers: "Don Blankenship should be held responsible." Firedoglake.org. April 10, 2010
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/west-virginia-mine-disaster-massey-energy-ceo-don/story?id=10311477
3. Missing Lesson from Mine Tragedy: Union-Busting = Death. Huffington Post. April 11, 2010
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-levine/missing-lesson-from-mine_b_533507.html
4. Massey CEO Don Blankenship Spent Millions to Influence State Elections. ABC News. April 8, 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/05/AR2010040503877.html