Roberts wins seventh term as Mine Workers leader
Cecil Roberts has been reelected as international president of the United Mine Workers of America.
Roberts, 77, was reelected by acclimation to his seventh full term, the UMWA announced Wednesday in a news release. He has been international president since 1995, and is the second-longest-serving chief officer of the union behind John L. Lewis (1920 to 1960).
Brian Sanson, Roberts’ running mate, was elected to his first full term as international secretary-treasurer. He assumed that dual position in 2021, and has served with the union’s negotiating team for several major contracts.
Roberts said in a statement: “I am humbled by this demonstration of support from the members of our union. At every step of my career, I have put what I believed to be the best interests of the membership first. I think they see that, and know that I will always fight for them.”
UMWA said that Roberts, during his second term, “led the UMWA’s successful fight to preserve health care and pensions for about 90,000 retired miners and widows, fought to preserve jobs for active miners, and bring new high-paying union jobs into the coalfields.
UMWA represents coal miners, manufacturing workers, clean coal technicians, health-care workers, corrections officers and public employees in the United States and Canada.
Army Corps
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held a ceremony in Pittsburgh on Friday morning to mark the transfer of leadership in the Pittsburgh District.
Col. Adam Czekanski, the district commander since July 2021, transferred command to Col. Nicholas Melin during a traditional military ceremony at the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Maj. Gen. William Graham, deputy commanding general for Civil Works and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters, was to preside over the ceremony.
“It has truly been an honor to serve with the great men and women of the Pittsburgh District these past two years,” Czekanski said. “There has not been a day since I joined this exceptional team that I have not been thoroughly impressed with their commitment to success and their dedication to serving our nation.”
The Pittsburgh District encompasses nearly 26,000 square miles in the upper Ohio River Basin and five states: Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, and New York.
The district supports commercial navigation on the upper Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela rivers, and operates and maintains 23 locks and dams.
Pittsburgh’s flood-damage reduction mission features 16 multipurpose reservoirs that prevented an estimated $866 million in flood damages during 2022.
The district’s flood-risk management portfolio also includes more than 80 local flood protection projects, which have prevented more than $5.3 billion in flood damages during their lifetime.
Students sought
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful program are inviting students in grades 10 through 12 to join the Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania program. Participants would be entrusted with helping to keep Pennsylvania clean and beautiful.
The Young Ambassadors initiative provides students with opportunities to train and network with industry leaders, state agencies, local media and the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful network. Those selected will serve as ambassadors from October through May 2024.
Other responsibilities will include: attending six mandatory virtual education sessions; conducting a community assessment and creating a summary presentation; organizing and participating in at least one community cleanup event through Pick Up Pennsylvania; and conducting one community education event or activity.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful will provide education and training.
The Young Ambassadors program was recommended in the commonwealth’s Litter Action Plan announced by the governor’s office in November 2021 and is funded by PennDOT.
Applications are being accepted through Sept. 14. Students will be chosen through a competitive application process. To apply, visit keeppabeautiful.org and choose Programs, Education then Young Ambassadors of Pennsylvania – or contact Kylie McCutcheon at 724-836-4121, ext. 114, or kmccutcheon@keeppabeautiful.org.