A Thousand Coal Miners Are Still On Strike After 4 Months

Michael Argo has spent 13 years working underground at a coal mine in Brookwood, Alabama, just outside Tuscaloosa. It’s the same mine his father worked at, raising Argo on good union wages and excellent health care coverage. When Argo followed in his father’s footsteps, he believed the job would get better with time and seniority. Instead, he said the job has only gotten worse.

“I’m working more than I ever have, and I’m making less money,” said Argo, a 33-year-old longwall miner who logs 10- to 12-hour days, 20 miles...