On Thursday, Iron Range miners and retirees affected by the 2003 bankruptcy of National Steel met in Keewatin to demand action from local leaders and representatives of federal leaders on the workers’ decimated pensions. The Hibbing Daily Tribune has the story, and summaries of the comments of the local leaders. I wish I could say that everyone heard what they needed to hear, but most of the miners there say they didn’t. Essentially, pensions earned fairly through collective bargaining and a career of mining hard rock taconite were gutted to allow a corporation to reorganize and walk away from unprofitable ventures. This has been happening all over the Iron Range and the entire Rust Belt for the last ten years.
UPDATE: After I posted this, I turned on the TV and PBS’s “NOW” addressed this very issue. Yes, I watch PBS on Friday night at age 28. That earns me the right to ask you to think seriously about this issue. Even John McCain says that “workers are the fundamentals of the American economy.” Really? Let’s prove it.
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