After Obama reelection coal company CEO reads prayer to staff, announces layoffs

[proud2BlibKansan]

For the chairman and chief executive of Murray Energy, an Ohio-based coal company, the reelection of President Obama was no cause for celebration. It was a time for prayer – and layoffs.

Robert E. Murray read a prayer to a group of company staff members on the day after the election, lamenting the direction of the country and asking: “Lord, please forgive me and anyone with me in Murray Energy Corp. for the decisions that we are now forced to make to preserve the very existence of any of the enterprises that you have helped us build.”

On Wednesday, Murray also laid off 54 people at American Coal, one of his subsidiary companies, and 102 at Utah American Energy, blaming a “war on coal” by the administration of President Barack Obama.”

Murray Energy is the country’s largest privately owned coal mining company, with about 3,000 employees producing about 30 million tons of bituminous coal a year, according to its Web site.

more . . . http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/after-obama-re-election-ceo-reads-prayer-to-staff-announces-layoffs/2012/11/09/e9bca204-2a63-11e2-bab2-eda299503684_story.html

[demwing]

1. It's time to nationalize oil and coal

operating these industries as for-profit, privately held companies is a risk to our national security and economics.

[B Calm]

12. BINGO!

[JustAnotherGen]

2. So he's weak?

So it's possible for someone to come in and sucker punch him and grab his business?


I'm not making light of this . .. my husband is a small business owner who has experience tremendous growth these past few years.

When all of these 'CEO Job Creators' started their nonsense - that was his very first reaction . . .


Great bambala! That means that some billionaires are going to be crippled and they'll create 100 millionaires that cannibalize them. <---- This is how he started his restoration line of work for UNESCO. It's also how his HVAC company came to be.



I read this as his business was weak in the first place - and now he's ripe for being picked off by an entrepreneur with pluck.

[Lint Head]

3. Robert E. Murray is responsible for the deaths of miners. He can go to hell!

[patricia92243]

4. Somehow this strikes me as "done for show." I think they were probably employess that they

planned to retire early or something of this nature. At least they will have Obamacare. I hope someone else will read this article and hire them - AND IT WILL BE BROADCAST ALL OVER THE MEDIA.

[Laurian]

5. I wish all the miners who work for this asshole would

go on strike and shut down his production (and profits). I know it would be a hardship, but I would love to see them stand up to this bully.

[JackN415]

6. I hope those laid off workers find jobs in the natural gas industry

[Old and In the Way]

8. That's the real reason these layoffs are happening.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021772731

It's the cost of NG per BTU that's killing Big Coal.

[JackN415]

9. Yes, and eventhough still with high carbon footprint

natural gas is cleaner and can serve as a transition source while moving toward renewable energy.

[backscatter712]

7. I hope Robert Murray dies of black lung.

That would be poetic justice.

[Generic Other]

10. We need to compile a list of such places

And boycott.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. How do we boycott a coal mine?

[Generic Other]

16. Well I shant buy my coal there

you're right. That seems pointless.

[warrior1]

11. I don't think that these miners, and their familes are going to be blaming

the President for this guy firing them. Robert Murray, meet karma.

[cpamomfromtexas]

13. This is A FUD campaign (fear uncertainty doubt) meant to scare all the rest of them

That's how companies have always scared the unions. And it's how they very effectively keep wages down.

Make no mistake, Bain's lessons on tearing down unions is spreading across the country.

Right now this is playing out at American Airlines, they want to scare the pilots into making half as much as pilots at other carriers. And Bain is not surprisingly one of the Bankruptcy "reorganizers".

Not working, and the pilots are about to throw out most union representation as well.

Is going to be interesting to watch.

[coalition_unwilling]

14. "Privately owned" so cannot be affected by shareholders with

publicly-traded shares of stock. Otherwise, I'd be making a token purchase in order to demand his Board of Directors fire Murray's ass.

I'd love to see a wildcat strike shut him down. Or occupy and seize his assets. Or both.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E._Murray#Murray_Energy