May 16, 2018 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

A fraction of coal miners who develop black lung disease will receive lung transplants. The treatment costs for this work-related disease should be borne by coal mine operators, but taxpayers through Medicare, are picking up the tab.

May 1, 2018 Kim Krisberg

Don Blankenship’s Senate run is a heartbreaking ordeal for families of the Upper Big Branch mining disaster; California Supreme Court ruling will make it much harder to misclassify workers as independent contractors; farmworker families struggle with respiratory health problems; and workers around the world take to the streets for May Day.

April 19, 2018 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 3Comment

A new law in Kentucky will make it even more difficult for coal miners with black lung disease to be reimbursed for their medical care costs and lost wages. Findings from radiologists–the specialists in interpreting xrays—will no longer be considered a relevant piece of evidence to support a coal miner’s case.

March 16, 2018 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

The CEO of an investment company with coal mine holdings has ludicrous ideas about worker safety. He thinks coal miners should rely on their natural instincts to be safe. He says emergency breathing equipment, rescue chambers, and proximity detectors are a waste of money.

November 14, 2017 Kim Krisberg

U.S. Chemical Safety Board considers withdrawing retaliation protections for offshore oil workers; unions re-examine their role in the wake of sexual harassment revelations; America’s fastest-growing jobs are also among the lowest-paying jobs; and migrant women continue to face exploitation on the job.