DISGUSTING! Rush Limbaugh's lies on unions and mining safety.

[and-justice-for-all]

In a horrific tragedy, 29 miners were killed this month in a mining accident in West Virginia.

Without missing a beat, Rush Limbaugh hit the airwaves, spewing bald-faced lies. Get this: Rush is claiming that the mine was operated by union workers and that “the union” bears responsibility for what happened!1 Here's what he said:

"Was there no union responsibility for improving mine safety? Where was the union here? Where was the union? The union is generally holding these companies up demanding all kinds of safety. Why were these miners continuing to work in what apparently was an unsafe atmosphere?"

The tragic truth? There wasn’t a union at the Upper Big Branch Mine where the tragedy occurred...2

Why not? Because the CEO of Massey Energy, Don Blankenship, exploited our broken labor laws and repeatedly sabotaged his employees’ efforts to form a union.

If Blankenship had allowed his employees to form a union, this tragedy might have been prevented. Unions provide safer working environments. And there's a way you can help make sure more workers have unions looking out for them: Tell your Senators to pass the Employee Free Choice Act!

So why are unions critical to making mines safer? Union miners can refuse unsafe work and fight for better conditions. Non-union miners, including the miners at Upper Big Branch, can’t do those things without fear of being fired.

These miners deserved a union. And they tried to join one three times. SEVENTY percent of Massey’s miners signed cards saying they wanted to vote for a union. But the workers never succeeded in getting their union. Thanks to our broken labor laws, Don Blankenship was able to get away with threatening his workers. He told them he would close down the mine if they voted for a union.3

We can’t let CEO’s like Blankenship continue to get away with this kind of dangerous intimidation and continue to risk lives. And that’s why we won’t stop fighting to fix our broken labor laws, no matter how long it takes.

Tell your Senators: Pass the Employee Free Choice Act and help prevent tragedies like the one at the Upper Big Branch Mine.

Earlier this year, corporate interests knew how close we were to passing the Employee Free Choice Act. They poured millions of lobbying dollars into trying to defeat the bill. And because of that, momentum has slowed. But our fight isn’t over. Not by a long shot!

If we want worker safety in mining and other industries, we need to give people the right to join a union without interference! As long as CEOs like Don Blankenship prevent workers from standing up for themselves through a union, companies can get away with ignoring their safety and well-being.

Together, we can change that.

Sincerely,

Manny, Liz, Kim F.B., Beth, Doug F., and the American Rights at Work team

1 http://thinkprogress.org/2010/04/13/limbaugh-coal-mine/
2 http://thinkprogress.org/2010/04/16/limbaugh-massey-coal-lie/
3 http://www.truthout.org/missing-lesson-from-mine-tragedy-union-busting-death58501