The Union business has very little to do with the coal business these days. The UMWA is cheerfully awaiting the day when they can walk into WalMart and Arbys with a petition and start collecting dues.
I know. They kill off an industry then have to find another to plunder. Union bosses remind me of the Borg.
While that's certainly true of the thugs that run the UMWA (and any other union), it's not true of the actual membership in general. They want jobs.
From this link...
UMWA has no working miners in Eastern Kentucky, but union's heritage remains strong
The union pays out $71 million in pensions and $91 million in healthcare expenditures each year.
Just in that area, if I read that article right. That's a lotta money. And it's gonna be hard to come by if they kill the goose laying the golden eggs.
So either Barry's lying through his teeth -again- or the union and the 'Rats are going to do to the coal industry what they've done to Detroit.