Demand for workers expected to rise

Illinois expects thousands are jobs to open.
WASHINGTON POST
COULTERVILLE, Ill. -- Coal's rebound here is a direct result of soaring U.S. demand for electricity, half of which currently comes from coal. The Bush administration is promoting coal as a "freedom fuel" -- in contrast to foreign oil -- and utilities are on a coal binge, with 154 new coal-fired plants on the drawing board. New plants must have scrubbers that remove sulfur before it reaches the atmosphere, so high-sulfur coal is back in the game. Meanwhile, coal states and the industry are investing heavily in technologies to convert coal into liquid fuel to power cars and jet planes.
The Illinois Office of Coal Development forecasts 3,000 new mining jobs statewide in the next three years, and an additional 2,000 as older miners retire, but that is just a shadow of the roughly 20,000 coal mining jobs that were here before the crash. And other high-paying production jobs are vanishing; a nearby Maytag plant with 942 workers is closing next month.
Younger workers interviewed throughout the area said they felt they had little leverage to complain about long hours or difficult working conditions because so many people were waiting in line for jobs that pay well. Gateway Mine had 1,300 applicants for its 200 jobs, according to operations manager Thomas A. Benner.
Aaron Wright, 37, a son and nephew of union miners, said he would happily work without a union if he could get a coal-mining job.
"I'm tired of making 8 to 9 an hour, not enough to support myself, not enough to support my kids," Wright said. "I just want the cash now."
Mixed views
Middle-aged union supporters say younger workers are naive to think they won't face supervisors who underestimate danger or play favorites in assigning work, or try to deny their rights if they are injured or lay them off without explanation. They say they've seen all this and more.
But the company works hard to show workers they don't need a union, said Vic Svec, spokesman for Peabody Energy Corp., owner of the Gateway Mine and the world's largest coal company. Peabody pegs its wage scale to match or exceed the UMWA's, he said. It also provides a 401(k) with a generous company match, and pays bonuses at mines that meet productivity and safety targets. Miner Billy Vandom, 22, said he gets a 700 to 800 bonus about every three months.
"Our strategy is to have the best possible relationship with employees," Svec said. "We don't feel it benefits our employees or our operations to have third parties involved."