COAL STRIKE IMPACT S. ILLINOIS ECONOMY

The number of Illinoisans employed in the coal mining industry has dwindled from 8,500 in October 1992 to 4,891 a year later.

And many of the unemployed are from Southern Illinois, where almost 3,000 workers have been idled by a strike that has stretched nearly seven months.

The United Mine Workers union has been on strike since May 10, with 17,500 members on strike in seven states in Appalachia and the Midwest, including portions of Illinois.

"During that same period of time we have seen a 30 percent reduction in coal production" said Art Rice, administrative assistant with the Illinois Department of Mines and Minerals. "Some of the mines in northern Illinois are not affected by the strike and are still operating. And, some coal is still being produced in the strike area."

In 1992, mines in the state produced 51.5 million tons of coal during the first 10 months of the year, Rice said.

But production for the same period in 1993 has dipped 29.5 percent, to 36.3 million

A year ago, 8,591 workers were employed at 36 mines in Illinois. Now, coal is being produced in only 21 mines, with 4,891 workers.

Rice said workers and coal companies have suffered from the strike, and although miners receive strike funds, "it's probably a lot less than the coal mining salaries," he added.

Charles "Mike" Vessell, labor market economist with the Illinois Department of Employment Security at Harrisburg, said the strike has affected the economy in several downstate counties, according to .

"The coal strike continues to be a factor in unemployment in selected counties across the southern region," Vessell said.

Gallatin County, with about 400 miners, has nearly doubled its unemployment rate within a year, from 9.8 percent in October 1992 to 19 percent in September this year.

In Perry County, home to about 1,000 coal miners, the unemployment rate has increased from 13 percent a year ago to 18.2 percent.

The report is about the same in Franklin County, which has about 750 miners. The unemployment rate in that county has risen from 8.6 percent to 12 percent.

The unemployment figures translate into less active cash registers for Southern Illinois retailers.

"The coal strike has had an impact on some other industries," Vessell said. "With no coal to ship, some trucking firms throughout the area have had some driver layoffs."

Coal companies also have suffered additional financial losses during the long strike.

Zeigler Coal Co. in Franklin County reported damage to 20 vehicles due to vandalism. Damage included broken windshields and scratched and dented vehicles.

In another incident, bricks were thrown through a truck windshield, and dummies have been "hung in effigy." In one incident, striking workers reported being shot at by management personnel along a road leading to Old Ben 25 mine.

Coal management in the area also might have lost some regular customers as buyers have switched to low-sulfur coal in lieu of Southern Illinois' high-sulfur coal.

Negotiators for the United Mine Workers and the nation's largest coal operators continue to meet, trying to complete the details on a proposed contract that would end the union's strike against members of the Bituminous Coal Operators Association.