>>21184765I'm sure comparably paid jobs that only require high school education have their own drawbacks and dangers: loggers, truck drivers, train crew on railroads etc.
I'm just grouchy. I've been telling coal miners for years that the ax will come down on the high pay and benefits and bonuses and have been getting blank or hostile responses, yet now it's happening. It used to be common, just a year or two ago, for mine operators to pay 100% of a coal miner's medical expenses, yet now the health plans are beginning to charge co-pays and deductibles. Many coal miners are pissed, but how could they not see this coming given both the trajectory of worker compensation at large and the trajectory of the coal sector in the U.S. in particular? They were willfully blind to the state of things and now are suddenly shocked and outraged.
Deep down, I want all miners and hard workers to be well compensated, but it's unrealistic to believe that this will be the case in the future, both for coal miners and for Western workers in general.
So yeah, I'm venting a bit due to frustration. Sorry for bringing others into this matter.
