Braxton's Story of the Coal Industry

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Braxton grew up in West Boston, a coal mining town near Birmingham. Like many other people in this community, he entered the coal industry after high school. Braxton: "A blue creek is supposed to be one of the best coal... Or I think it's really the second best coal in the world"

For more than 500 days, coal miners in rural Alabama have been on strike. Around 900 workers walked off the job in April 2021, and they haven’t been back since.

As the strike drags on, the miners are discovering that neither political party is willing to fight for them.

For Braxton Wright, 39, a second-generation coal miner and, until recently, a Republican, the experience has altered his view of American politics.

Guest: Michael Corkery, a business reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading:

To make ends meet, some striking coal miners in Alabama have picked up work at an Amazon warehouse. It’s the same one where workers have tried to unionize.

For more information on today’s episode, visit

nytimes.com/thedaily

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