Justice at Peabody

Religious Leaders Hold Prayer Vigils Calling for Justice at Peabody

Farmersburg and Vincennes, In. – Local clergy and supporters, including the Rev. Judith Purvis, Vincennes District Superintendent for the
United Methodist Church, held prayer vigils outside of two Peabody mines on August 14, in support of miners organizing a union with the
United Mine Workers of America.

“We call on Peabody to respect the rights of miners and adopt card-check neutrality today,” said the Rev. Phil Hoy, pastor of Zion United
Church of Christ and Indiana state representative. “Just as it would be morally wrong for the principal of my kids’ school to interfere in my
decision to join a parents’ association, Peabody should not interfere with the decision of miners to join a union. Workers have a right to
have direct input into their contracts just as parents have a right to have direct input into educational issues."

The vigils were held at the gates of the Farmersburg mine near the town of Farmersburg Indiana and the Air Quality mine near Vincennes
Indiana.

During the vigils, participants prayed for Peabody Energy to embrace religious teachings calling on employers not to interfere in their
workers’ decision to organize.

Over 700 religious leaders have signed a statement calling on Peabody Energy “to refrain from intimidating, threatening and firing miners
who are working to organize a union,” and “to be truly neutral with respect to employees’ rights to form or join a union and to voluntarily
recognize a union when a majority of their employees sign authorizations.”

At the national level forty-three faith groups have taken the position that an employer’s power over its employees makes any intrusion by
management in the decision of its workers to join a union inherently coercive and that the National Labor Relations Board election system is
routinely manipulated by employers to deprive workers of their right to organize.

The faith groups have endorsed democratic card-check neutrality procedures as the most effective way to determine the wishes of
employees. Under card-check neutrality, employers agree to remain neutral and to voluntarily recognize a union when a majority of their
employees sign cards saying they want to join.

“Without the workers, the company can't get the job done,” said the Rev. Robert Noel, pastor of Shelburne Wesleyan Church, who
participated in the Farmersburg vigil. “God created us all equal, and we should treat everyone as equal. We should live in fellowship and
unity. Unions give protection and rights."

The local ministers organized the vigils with Religious Leaders for Coalfield Justice, an organization of religious leaders committed to
justice for coal miners and other residents of coalfield communities.