READ IT HERE FIRST!

.... Note to self... try to stay on 639's good side,

dayum bro i think your horns are showin again

Try this. http://www.fwweekly.com/content.asp?article=3528

it was just published in powerlineman magazine also.

To One And ALL,

Now ya'll can see where my anger comes from, acceptable BS, "" YEP "" as long as the CEOS ARE NOT PART OF THE POSSIBILITES!!! Do their wife’s and kids have to worry about being fatherless, homeless, living without limbs or being maimed the rest of their lives, and being a burden on their families, BS Do they suffer the pain of taking their daughters to the father daughter dance and can't dance because of no LEGS!!!

To many of these large corporations and utilities the workers limbs and lives ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE ITEM OF POSSIBLE PROFIT LOSS!!!!

For me it is CUT AND DRYED! If they can pay their CEOS and Management "" MILLIONS """ in yearly bonuses They damned well can take care of a Brother and or his wife and babies, PERIOD! Those who GAVE THEIR LIMBS AND LIVES to create those profits and bonuses, REGARD LESS OF HOW IT HAPPENS, PERIOD!!! The fact we even have to fight them to do the right thing, SAYS IT ALL!!!!!

If the major players in this industry REALLY CARED , they would take a percentage of the bonuses money every year and let me put it in to a fund. Each worker would receive money in their time of need, with no admission of guilt on ANYBODIES PART! This would go a long way in ending these law suites and the wrongs being orchestrated against our Brothers and their families! How many Brothers and their families could we take care of with JUST THIS YEARS PROJECTED BOUNSES OF THE CEO OF TXU??? It is projected to be OVER 100 MILLION “” THIS YEAR “”!!! Now think about all the other CEOS ACROSS THIS COUNTRY???????

If we built a fund with yearly contribution from EVERY PLAYER IN THIS INDUSTRY, it would be several hundred million. Let that draw interest each year AND WATCH IT GROW!!! We lose between 40 and 50 Brothers a year and have 100 to 180 maimed EVERY YEAR! If this fund was built and maintained correctly, each time there was a death, there is NO REASON I could walk up to the family and give them a million dollars to help them, NO ADMISSION OF GUILT , NO QUESTINED ASKED , NO HOOPS, NO BS!!! And a percentage to each Brother depending on their injuries! This would be on top of any medical care and workman comp !!!! That is a lot to us, but not even 1 % of what the CEOS GET EVERY YEAR!!! And we and our loved ones are giving EVERYTHING WE HAVE, TO GET IT ONE TIME!!!!!

Now there is a pipe dream, for this to happen the players in this industry would have to care as much for their workers as they do THEMSELVES

Edited by S.A.C., 08 October 2006 - 08:03 AM.

I HEAR YA BROTHER

IN WAR..THERE ARE ACCEPTABLE LOSSES.....BUT AT HOME IN OUR TRADE...........NO WAY IN HELL

I MAY FALL INTO THE ACCEPTABLE LOSS CATEGORY.......HELL THE SUPERVISORS/MGMNT AT WORK HAVE ME NOT COMING BACK FROM THE BACK SURGERY, AND TAKING THIS INTO DISABILITY/RETIREMENT....NOT PLANNING ON IT,BUT IF THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT............HEY, I'LL HUNT AND FISH THE REST OF MY LIFE, WHEN I'M NOT HELPING YOU FIGHT THESE CRAZY _ _ _ _ _ _ _ !!!!!!!!!

639trbl, you will do fine, and after about 6 or 8 weeks, biting at the bit to return to work. Hope all goes well. And if not, I know a few politicians in WV who would love to have you in their corner. LOL Take care of yourself! And when the time comes, you will be there, right along with Rusty, fighting every step of the way to see the men/families and children are treated fairly. On December 20, 2005, Massey Energy Company (the "Registrant") entered into a letter agreement with Don L. Blankenship regarding his continued employment as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Registrant through December 31, 2006 (the "Letter Agreement").
The material terms and conditions of the Letter Agreement which relates to Mr. Blankenship's employment by the Registrant for calendar year 2006 are as follows: (i) a base salary of $83,333 per month; (ii) a target cash incentive award of $900,000 based on the achievement of certain performance objectives;
being given a home in excess of $250,000+.
Records show that the Sago mine received 208 citations from the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration during 2005, up from 68 citations in 2004, and 144 notices of violation from the state Office of Miners' Health Safety and Training in 2005, up from 74 the year before. Last September Bush nominated Richard Stickler, a former executive at a West Virginia subsidiary of Massey Energy (which has one of the worst safety records in the industry) to run MSHA. At a Senate confirmation hearing in January, Stickler said he believes the nation's mine safety laws are adequate. West Virginia Democrat Robert Byrd has been keeping the Senate from voting on the nomination.

Similarly, Bush appointed Michael Duffy, former deputy general counsel for the National Mining Association, as FMSHRC chair and named two other industry executives--Stanley Suboleski (an executive with Massey
Energy) and Michael Young (director of regulatory affairs for the Pennsylvania Coal Association)--to the five-member board.

Since taking office, according to the Miller report, Bush has proposed cuts (in real terms) in the MSHA budget each year. Between 2001 and 2005 the MSHA staff was reduced from 2,357 to 2,187, with the bulk of
the cuts occurring in coal mine safety enforcement staff. The Administration has also dramatically reduced the number and size of fines, as well as the number of criminal prosecutions and convictions, compared with the Clinton era. Bush's appointees have weakened regulations requiring ventilation in coal mines, proposed rules that would allow mine operators to increase coal dust in the mines and delayed implementation of a Clinton-era rule improving air quality standards.

And we wonder why we can't get any of the CEOS to sit up and pay attention when men are injured or killed in the line of duty........ Its hard on the bottom line.

MAY THEY BURN IN HELL

Lnemn's Mom,

EXCELLENT INFORMATION!!!!! Now maybe some can understand where my anger and passion comes from!!!

639,

I'll take you my " 6 " anytime, Brother!!!

Hey Rusty, how much feedback have you gotten from this article?

YEAH...THIS HITS HOME

JULY '04.....................A CO-WORKER WAS KILLED ...IN A WRECK, IN THE COMPANY BUCKET TRUCK.................HE HAD BEEN HEADED TO HELP ANOTHER TRBLMAN ON A LIGHTS OUT CALL, WHEN THE OTHER TRBLMAN CALLED HIM AND SAID 'I CAN HANDLE IT, GO ON TO THE HOUSE'.............DOC SAID, 'OK I'M HEADED HOME'..................THOSE WERE THE LAST WORDS WE HEARD FROM OUR FRIEND AND CO WORKER..................

BELIEVE IT OR NOT..THIS WAS NOT A RECORDABLE OSHA LOST TIME ACCIDENT

THE COMPANY AND OSHA SAID...............IT HAPPENED AFTER 4 P.M. ............HIS QUITTING TIME WAS 4 P.M.....EVEN THOUGH HE WAS STILL IN THE COMPANY TRUCK, HEADED FOR HOME AT THE END OF THE DAY..HE WAS NOT ON THE CLOCK

HIS WIDOW HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF................ALTHOUGH NOT AS WELL AS SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN, AND SOME ASPECTS ARE STILL IN THE LAWYERS HANDS................

PART OF THE REASON, IS BECAUSE WE ALL-------THEY GUYS THAT KNEW AND LOVED DOC, HAVE FOUGHT WITH THE COMPANY...........WITH THE UNIONS HELP ....TO MAKE THE COMPANY DO WHAT IS RIGHT







AS A FOOTNOTE...................MOST OF THE SERVICEMEN/TRBLMN IN OUR COMPANY DRIVE OUR COMPANY TRUCKS HOME EVERYDAY..............MOSTLY GETTING HOME A FEW MINUTES AFTER OUR SHIFT IS OVER..................WELL NOW.........IF OUR SHIFT ENDS AT 4 P.M., AND WE ARE NOT WORKING TRBL...WELL WE ARE SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY...........AT HOME............BEFORE 4 P.M.

Several states have enacted negligence statutes in recent years that hold co-workers liable when they violate safety and get someone hurt. On one hand I hate that because there are bottom feeder lawyers who assume all of us are unsafe. They circle linecrews like sharks looking for big bucks and that kind of threat is just more worries for good lineman who do right. In this case those decision makers that killed this boy ought to be held accountable. They are'nt sheilded by Workers Comp.

jimvaughn,

Brother the laws you speak of are another tool for companies to avoid liability, FACT! They sacrifice their field supervisors with claims of failure to follow company policy! Most of the bottom feeders you speak of " KNOW " or find out real quick that the Brother working in the field being sacrificed DOESN'T HAVE THE MEANS to go after. The only thing that will change this, is holding those accountable that create the bidding environment and working conditions that lead to these tragedies, FACT! Until such time our lives , limbs and families care and concerns ARE EXSPENDABLE!!!

Sad story. Article has some mis-information but a clear message.

I've got an updated link to the original article from the 1st post...

http://www.buckettru.../article027.htm


Really a very good read!

lashdawg, on 29 July 2010 - 04:17 PM, said:

Thanks Lashdawg, I had read a shorter version at one time but this one goes into a much better followup