Standing with SMC miners

I’m not a miner and I’m not a miner’s wife. Why do I stand with the Stillwater miners? The Stillwater miners are members of our community. They raise their families here. They participate in community events here. They spend their earnings in our stores. They pay property taxes on their homes here. The same cannot be said for the mining executives. With their move to Denver this coming summer, their huge salaries and their loyalties will move elsewhere.
According to a Q2 News report from March 26, the company spokesperson says that this move “will allow executives to be more accessible to investors, analysts and business partners.” What’s not said is that this will move them farther away from the real operations, away from the real people who do the hard work that makes them rich, away from our community.
I support the miners and their union in the coming contract negotiations. Stillwater Mining Company made $70 million in profits last year, yet they’re telling the miners to take a 25 percent cut in pay and benefits. That’s not only a blow and an offense against the miners and their families, it’s a blow against our entire community. We should all be offended.
As a community, let’s stand in support of the Stillwater miners and their union in their fight for a fair contract.

Susan (Elli) Elliott
Red Lodge