CHARLESTON, W.Va.—Hundreds of members of the United Mine Workers rallied downtown here Sept. 11 in a fight against Patriot Coal Corp.’s drive to tear up their union contract. Patriot filed for bankruptcy in July and is seeking to shed payments for retiree pensions and health care benefits. The company employs about 2,000 union members in West Virginia and Kentucky, and covers benefits for more than 10,000 retirees and another 10,000 dependents, according to the Charleston Gazette. Meanwhile, on Sept. 18, Alpha Natural Resources announced it was laying off 1,200 workers at eight mines in Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

—LINDA JOYCE