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Coal Miners Movement Takes Off on Social Media

Published: February 17, 2016 |

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The social media movement started two weeks ago by a Harrisburg couple to tell the stories of coal miners who have lost their jobs will enter a new phase next week.

Bob and Kelly Sandidge started the Coal Miner’s Movement as a Facebook page that has drawn more than 17,000 likes.

Bob Sandidge, a coal miner for more than 35 years, will give voice to hardships which laid off coal miners are enduring because of the so-called “war on coal,” a widely held belief referring to federal environmental regulations under President Barack Obama’s administration.

Lay off announcement after lay off announcement, including 275 lost jobs in Southern Illinois announced earlier this month by Alliance Coal, have blamed what they say have been over-reaching regulations that have lessened U.S. demand for coal.

Sandidge said he has not in his experience seen the industry hit so hard. That said, neither he nor Kelly anticipated the Facebook response.

“It just exploded,” he said. “We never had a clue this thing would do this. Now we feel responsible to keep it going in the right direction.”

The couple used the momentum to build on the idea, deciding to post a three-question survey to tally how many miners and workers from related industries have been laid off and record their stories to share with policymakers on Capitol Hill.

Truckers, rail workers and communities have been impacted, as well, Sandidge said.

The questionnaire has since been moved to a website launched Monday, www.coalminersmovement.org.

On Feb. 25, the group will host a town hall meeting to introduce itself and to encourage people to sign up as members of the movement on its website to further state the case for reversing the lay off trend.

The meeting will start 6 p.m. at Harrisburg City Hall.

“It’s not just the coal miners, it’s entire communities. People want their lives back, people want their families back,” Sandidge said.

Source: (February 16, 2016) The Southern Illinoisian


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