Published: March 22, 2017 |

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[Click image to enlarge]

Miners of the Lucky Friday Mine in Mullan, Idaho are on strike after failing to agree on negotiations with Hecla who owns the mine. 250 miners are employed there and in a strike vote taken Sunday night at 7pm, 230 miners voted to strike while only 2 voted not to strike.

According to Phil Epler, President of the United Steel Workers Local 5144, miners began negotiations with Hecla back in May of 2016. Hecla wanted to strip the collective bargaining agreement among other rights that miners felt took generations to achieve.

Epler says miners are willing to bargain and still have room to negotiate.

Monday afternoon, Hecla released a statement on the strike:

“We are very disappointed in USW Local 5114’s decision to walk out,” Phillips S. Baker, Jr., president and CEO of Hecla, said in a press release. “We appreciate our work force and our last, best and final offer provides competitive benefits but also provides the flexibility necessary to operate a mine successfully in a changing economic and regulatory environment.” 

“Lucky Friday has endured closures in the past and has rebounded very successfully,” Baker continued. “We have every expectation, especially with our investment in the new #4 Shaft and the substantial silver resources identified, that the mine can operate for generations into the future. And, with a solid balance sheet, we can wait to ensure that Lucky Friday has the flexibility to guarantee its long-term viability.” 

Source: (March 13, 2017) KHQ.com

To stop by Hecla’s website, CLICK HERE

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