WAYNESBURG, Pa. (AP) — Thousands of union coal miners and supporters from several states tried to fuel an uprising in southwestern Pennsylvania on Friday, proclaiming themselves ready to mobilize for the war they say is being waged on organized labor in the United States.
"There's a bad, bad wind coming out of the west, and it's up to us to stop it at the doors," said Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale as snow whipped into the metal bleachers at the Greene County Fairgrounds.
Like nearly a dozen other speakers from several national unions, Bloomingdale urged miners decked mostly in camouflage to prepare for battle, calling unions the last line of defense for the American middle class.
"We've got a fight ahead of us, and it's not going to be won in Harrisburg. It's not going to be won in Charleston," he said, a nod to the many West Virginians in the crowd. "It's going to be won right here in the counties."
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