Tag: Wheeling News-Register

Union Approves New Contract for 5 West Virginia Coal Mines

Members of the United Mineworkers of America have approved a new collective bargaining agreement that covers five northern West Virginia mines.

The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register reports 60.3 percent of union members voted in favor of the new contract with the Bituminous Coal Operators of America. The deal runs through 2021.

The current collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of this year. Union members had rejected a previous contract proposal on June 28.

The new agreement does not include a raise for workers, and both active and retired union members will have slight increases in their out-of-pocket health care costs.

UMWA President Cecil Roberts said it was a tough vote for the union members to take. He said layoffs in the declining coal industry has put pressure on those still working.

Energy Companies to Pay $18 Million for West Virginia Worker Death

Energy companies will pay $18 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the widow of a man who died in a flash fire at a natural gas station in Tyler County.

The settlement involves the April 2013 death of Bruce Phipps. Karen Phipps filed the lawsuit in Ohio County Circuit Court after her husband and two other workers were severely burned at the Eureka Hunter Pipeline facility in the town of Wick. The other workers survived.

The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register reports that officials believe the fire occurred when a vapor cloud formed at the station and ignited.

Besides his wife, Phipps also is survived by a daughter, two grandchildren and three siblings. An annuity created by the settlement will benefit his survivors.

False Burglar Alarms in Wheeling Will Result in Fines

Beginning next year, burglar alarm owners in Wheeling will face fines when their devices send police false alerts.

A new false alarm ordinance also requires residences and businesses with burglar alarms to register with the city.

The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register reports that City Council approved the ordinance on Tuesday. The measure is to go into effect on January 1, 2016, but could be delayed.

Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said the city has to find a company that has the equipment to track false alarms for the police department.

Schwertfeger said the police department plans a campaign to educate the public about the ordinance.

Wheeling to Boost Backup Water System, Drill Two More Wells

The city of Wheeling plans to boost its backup well water system’s capacity by drilling two additional wells.

City manager Robert Herron says the new wells will allow the system to pump an additional 1 million gallons of water per day. The system’s existing five wells can pump about 4 million gallons per day.

Herron tells The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register that the new wells were planned before a blue-green algae bloom prompted the city’s water treatment plant to close its Ohio River intakes for several days in August.

He says the intakes’ closure didn’t interrupt service to water customers.

Murray Energy Expanding Coal Prep Plant in Benwood

Murray Energy is expanding its coal preparation plant in Benwood.

Construction of a new coal processing facility is underway at the Ohio County Coal Co. prep plant.

Murray spokesman Gary Broadbent tells The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register that the $45 million project will increase the plant’s coal processing capacity by 38 percent.

The project is expected to be completed by late spring.

The prep plant employs 66 workers. Ohio County Coal’s Ohio County Mine employs 733 workers.

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