Seriously? It shows how crazy the right wing is. What a crock of shyt. See the entire bullshit prayer at the link. How pathetic to blame layoffs (probably already PLANNED) on the re-election of Obama.

After Obama reelection coal company CEO reads prayer to staff, announces layoffsFor 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 has also been a target of environmentalists. Notably, the company has spilled coal slurry into a creek on seven different occasions.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ ... story.html

Just a thought: I wonder if his god cares more about how his company thrives or how it desecrates the beautiful earth with the nasty slurry and sludge?

If I'm remembering correctly [which is always "iffy"], the Feds are suing Murray Energy over conditions at some of their work sites, especially at least one mine where several miners have died ~

I read last night about another company [that was not identified] that laid off 22 "mostly Hispanic" workers ... in anticipation of the owner facing new taxes, health insurance costs, etc with Obama being reelected ~

Sooz

Yep. It's good time for them to do layoffs and blame it on someone else. Of course, the right wing idiots will buy it hook, line and sinker.

Coal mines in Northern British Columbia are importing "temporary" foreign workers from China. They're excluding Canadians from applying for full time work by requiring applicants being able to speak Mandarin or Cantonese.

This Murray Energy?

Close to $1M settlement reached on fines in Utah mine disaster

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54979 ... n.html.csp

Yes, oskar ~ and it's the SAME Murray Energy that forced miners to attend a Romney campaign event ~ I know we have a thread/posts about THAT ~ I've also added Applebee's [see below] to my "personal boycott list" ~ there are "live links" to more/corroborating info in the original ~ Sooz

CEO who forced workers to attend Romney rally cuts 156 jobs and blames Obama
By Stephen C. Webster
Friday, November 9, 2012 16:43 EST

The CEO of Ohio-based Murray Energy Corp., who forced his employees to attend an August rally for failed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, announced on Wednesday that 156 jobs would have to be cut because of President Barack Obama’s reelection.

CEO Robert E. Murray read a prayer to employees before announcing the cuts, according to The Washington Post. “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,” he reportedly said.

The same company’s employees were forced to stand behind Romney during an Ohio event last August, in a visual that would later become part of a campaign ad. The Ohio Democratic Party later claimed that the miners were “extorted” for campaign contributions, and called for a criminal investigation. Employees of the company told The New Republic that their contributions are tracked and they feared repercussions if they didn’t attend fundraisers.

It’s not the first time that Murray has fired workers and blamed Obama: he did the same thing last August, closing a mining operation in Brilliant, Ohio, where 239 people worked, then telling them the move was due to “Mr. Obama’s ‘war on coal’ and the destruction it has caused.”

Despite Murray’s belief that there’s a “war on coal,” the U.S. Energy Information Administration says that domestic coal production has remained near historical norms during Obama’s first term, edging up each year since 2009. Additionally, Murray Energy’s most recent quarterly production report noted that workers in six of Murray’s mines have increased coal production by more than 1.2 million tons over the same period in 2011. The company’s earnings are only released to investors.

Unfortunately, Murray is not alone. Applebee’s New York franchise CEO Zane Tankel announced on Friday during an appearance on Fox Business that he’s refusing to hire any new people because the Affordable Care Act will require that the company purchase health insurance. “The model’s been set,” he said. “I just want to say we’re looking at it, we’re evaluating it, if it’s possible to do without cutting people back, I’m delighted to do it. But that also rolls back expansion, it rolls back hiring more people, and in a best-case scenario we only shrink the labor force minimally.”

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/09/ceo-who-forced-workers-to-attend-romney-rally-cuts-156-jobs-and-blames-obama/

I'm glad people are going back to work ~ but I would dearly love some laid-off worker to tell the kingpins to take their job and shove it ~ Sooz

Coal Company Rehires Workers After Pinning Blame For Layoffs On Obama
By Rebecca Leber on Jan 25, 2013 at 9:08 am

Throughout the 2012 presidential election, Murray Energy CEO Robert Murray used his employees as a political tool to try to defeat President Obama. Murray allegedly forced miners to attend a pro-Romney rally without pay and to contribute to Republican candidates. He announced layoffs at mines in Ohio and Utah, claiming that Obama’s “war on coal” has cost jobs and hurt his business.

But months after blaming Obama for layoffs, Murray Energy is looking to hire back workers. Alec MacGillis reports this includes mines in Ohio and Utah, which had announced layoffs in the days following the election. At the time, Murray claimed the “drastic time” forced “survival mode layoffs”:


Company officials maintain the rehiring is part of a reclamation project that can go on for several years, but they may have up to 43 people working at the Ohio Red Bird West operation after originally laying off 56.

Either way, the result is far from Murray’s prediction that the election would precede layoffs throughout the coal industry. Generally, cheap natural gas is driving down demand for coal, not Murray’s favorite targets, environmental protections and taxes.

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/01/25/1494451/murray-coal-layoffs/

Obama's fault, right?