Some 855 coal miners were laid off as a result of the closings. The company contends that economically minable reserves had been depleted. Coal from the Helvetia complex was being sold to the nearby Homer City electrical generation plant and the Keystone complex provided coal to the Keystone generating station. Coal will now be provided for these power stations from other Consol mines in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Attending the meeting were members of the Southwest Pennsylvania Legislative Coal Caucus, members of the boards of commissioners of Armstrong and Indiana counties, and members and officials of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).

The ripple effect of these layoffs is just beginning to be felt, as the closings affect related industries and businesses in the area. "You talk about the effect of the layoffs on the local communities, well I coach Little League Baseball, and last year we had 109 kids try out for seven teams. This year only 44 tried out. That's people leaving because of layoffs," commented Tony Reid who worked at the Marshall Run mine.

In his statement to the meeting,UMWA District 2 president Edward Yankovich said that for every mining job eliminated three to four other jobs related to mining will be lost. In December, RAG Emerald Resources Corporation in Greene County announced a layoff of 53 miners, citing poor market conditions. Prior to the job cuts, Emerald employed 533 underground miners, represented by UMWA Local 2258.

"The issue for us is jobs and economic well being of our communities. Their issues are profits regardless where they are generated or by whom," said Yankovich. The union official asked for money to be used to preserve good-paying jobs in the coalfields.

"There is a moral obligation to save these jobs.... This is an entire community we are talking about."

The union is seeking government help in creating an attractive financial package to attract a buyer for the shuttered five-mine complex, which has an estimated 500 million tons of reserves.

"Coal miners aren't stupid," said Tony Reid, who worked at the Marshall Run mine. "We know Consol buys out their competition and that's what they're doing here. They came here to buy the utilities contract. One of the Consol bosses at Marshall Run bragged that every mine he goes to is shut down within three years. Well, he shut us down in 14 months."

Two months after Consol announced the closing of the Helvetia mines, the company announced it had signed a new contract with the Homer City Generating Station and would be providing the utility with coal from other Consol mines in Pennsylvania.

The union also called for an investigation into Consol's decision to close their mines in Indiana and Armstrong counties and the company's deal with Edison Mission Energy, which acquired the Homer City plant in March.

"I don't know if we can alter or change the course of capitalism," stated State Rep. Peter Daley, chairman of the legislative Coal Caucus. "I also don't think we can come up with $100 million, but there is a good chance some money will be available."

Explaining the decision to close the mines for Consol, which was not invited to the emergency meeting, Thomas Hoffman explained that the mines weren't profitable under Rochester & Pittsburgh's stewardship, and that the company only made a prudent business decision in closing the Indiana county mines. Consol acquired the Keystone and Helvetia mining complexes a year ago when it bought the former Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal Co. Also acquired in that deal was the Eighty-Four mine in Washington county.  
 
 
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