UMWA President Cecil E. Roberts: “Bob Casey’s Roots Are In Coal Country In Eastern Pennsylvania. His Heart Has Always Been With Miners, Their Families And Their Communities […] We Could Not Ask For A Better Advocate For Our Members, Both Active And Retired.”
Senator Casey Has Been A Champion For Coal Miners’ Safety, Health Care, Pensions, and Jobs
PENNSYLVANIA — Today, the National Council of the United Mine Workers of America Coal Miners Political Action Committee endorsed Senator Bob Casey’s re-election campaign.
Read COMPAC’s statement below:
“We are proud to endorse a strong leader who has been a friend of coal miners his entire career,” said UMWA President Cecil E. Roberts. “Bob Casey’s roots are in coal country in eastern Pennsylvania. His heart has always been with miners, their families and their communities.
“Senator Casey was a fierce advocate for preserving our retirees’ health care and pensions, and because of his leadership tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians have those benefits today,” Roberts said. “There are many, many people who are alive today because he took on that fight and won. We can never thank him enough for that.”
Senator Casey has also been a leader in the fight to improve health and safety conditions in America’s mines, especially with respect to eliminating the scourge of Black Lung for future miners and improving the ability of those who have the disease to get the benefits they deserve.
“Senator Casey has held hearings, he has introduced legislation, he has stood on the floor of the Senate and advocated to keep miners safer and healthier at work. We could not ask for a better advocate for our members, both active and retired.”
The National Council acted upon the recommendation of the union’s Pennsylvania State COMPAC Committee.
“Endorsements come from the bottom up in our union,” Roberts said. “This is a reflection of the strong support our members in Pennsylvania have for Senator Casey. They are ready to get out and work for his re-election, and that’s exactly what we will do.”
Sen. Casey has been a champion for coal miners by protecting their safety, health care, and pensions.
- Last year, Sen. Casey successfully fought for the provision in the Inflation Reduction Act that extended the Black Lung Benefits Disability Trust Fund and made sure coal miners have the medical care they need.
- Casey is an original co-sponsor of the Relief for Survivors of Miners Act, which would provide needed assistance to family members of coal miners who passed away from black lung disease.
- He secured $4.14 Million in Appalachian Regional Commission funding for Southwestern Pennsylvania communities impacted by coal mining job losses.
- In 2019, he helped lead a successful effort to shore up miners’ pensions and healthcare with his original co-sponsorship of the Bipartisan American Miners Act.
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