Reader comments
Report paints Murray as bully

Bob G | 4:07 a.m. March 15, 2008

In Utah this is normal behavior of business owners and it reflects the power business forces itself on workers and government laws. Business owners in Utah are slave drivers and they all, with very few exceptions, feel like they are doing their employees a favor giving them a job. They hold a workers job over their heads like a big ax and at any time they can be fired if they don't obey his every wish, legal and illegal. If an american worker balks or complains to management or government, they are told to shut up don't make any noise, their is an illegal alien waiting for your job for less than what he is paying you. Utah workers need to Unionize and organize to save their jobs and get rid of these unscrouplous business owners. Utah workers also need representation in government with support to report these scum bag bosses. Won't likely happen though because business owns and operates our government. This is what workers have to put up with in a "Right to Work" government that has nothing to do with workers rights, its all owners rights. The Right to Work law needs to be aboloished.

Mahershalalhashbaz | 5:44 a.m. March 15, 2008

I smell a rotten fish. First, global warming hysterics from Al Gore/Huntsman/Arnold/Rocky tell us we are all going to die from CO2, then they start shutting down companies that they say are damaging to the environment. Who knows but Huntsman & company had something to do with the "activity" that was not an earthquake. Were explosives planted in that mine? They have it out for this guy, and I have a feeling it has nothing to do with how he ran his business, and everything to do with global warming hysterics. I would like an investigation into what caused the mine to collapse, since it wasn't an earthquake, what was it? I mean, they say he wasn't nice to the inspectors. Sissy government workers! Give me a break!

Spine Miracle Grow | 5:57 a.m. March 15, 2008

Yes Murry is definately at fault. Hope they hit his pockets as much as they can. BUT what about the accountability of the inspectors?? They should be vulnerable to Bullying. They should be the ones calling the shots. I dont care how tough or influential Murry thinks he is - inspectors should have stood their ground. What kind of inspections are we conducting if they are susceptible to being transferred or influenced. Looks like the blame should be broader.

Comments continue below

Liberals ruining us. | 6:29 a.m. March 15, 2008

It's liberalism at work. You have democrats standing beside incompetent, lazy miners who should have known any day working could be shorten by injury or death.

These miners would lucky to have jobs.

These liberals forced business to have fire exits, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and fire suppression systems. Add to these the cost of personal protective equipment for employees. Little wonder business out source to China were life have low value!

Why wouldn't Murray pay dearly in donations to the Republican Party to undermine workers safely to add to his wealth? He's in a climate controlled office while his miners try not to suck coal dust.

Death is like taxes; they are for the little people to pay. You are blessed to live in a nation run by republicans where business and the government takes from the middle class and the rich amass more wealth.

I've lived on the Left Coast but, you can see Rush's school of advanced conservativism has taught me to think like a conservatives. Heck, I could fix in to any ward in Utah, thinking like this.

Alan | 7:30 a.m. March 15, 2008

"Crandall Canyon Mine owner Bob Murray was a bully, and it paid dividends." So the Deseret News begins the story with a statement passing judgment on Bob Murray. The statement isn't attributed to anyone, so it is essentially the reporter's own opinion. The FOLLOWING sentence attributes some conclusions to "documents," but the first sentence taking an opinion and making it a statement of fact.

Bob Murray may or may not be a bully, but it doesn't matter. Any high school journalism student would know one doesn't begin a story like that. Some so-called "journalists" may find that style of writing acceptable, but it is what it is- a statement of opinion or conclusion written as if it is established fact. That's fine for the editorial page, but not on a front page article.

Lee Davidson and his editors, publishing this story the way they did, are practicing sloppy, irresponsible and biased journalism. If news writers can find it in their hearts to call confessed killers of innocents ">>alleged<< terrorists," surely they can tell this story strictly with the facts, and leave the readers to come to their own conclusions.

Robert | 8:30 a.m. March 15, 2008

Coal mining is a tough business, with lots of tough people. The report doesn't say Murray was physically combative; just a tough man to deal with. In other words, his attitude called for tough inspectors, not milk toasts.

Michael | 8:31 a.m. March 15, 2008

Good article. It shows the problems a loud, abrasive, beligerant and intimidating person with money and political connections can cause. And the net result is the death of the innocents.

reprterson | 8:57 a.m. March 15, 2008

I didn't realize Davidson either worked for MSHA, the Dept. of Labor or has a mining background that makes him capable of interpreting "the documents" that were selectively released.

Just last Monday you said: "Again, it's too soon to hand down conclusions regarding the operation of Crandall Canyon Mine and the events leading up the Aug. 6, 2007, roof collapse, or the subsequent accident that killed three rescuers. But this Senate committee report raises issues that MSHA should investigate further, adding their technical expertise to the analysis. Just as important, the report provides disturbing allegations regarding MSHA's interactions with the mine operators, which should be further examined by investigators for the Department of Labor."

I expect this kind of stuff from the Tribune. I thought you guys were better than that.

FO's | 9:20 a.m. March 15, 2008

It appears to me that MSHA is weak and they have no backbone. I don't care how abusive this old man is. Bryan P. Sargeant is now totally responsible in my opinion. He and his FO's ignored problems because they were scared of this old fat man. MSHA should have some stronger, less intimidated people to handle bullies. I think that Bryan P. Sargeant as well as Old Man Murray should pay dearly. I know the Federal Aviation Administration inspectors are there to "support the minimums" but they don't back down to an angry business owner. Instead the owners correct the problem of they will be out of business. What about the Union? They brag about better and safer working conditions, etc. Where were they?

george | 9:57 a.m. March 15, 2008

and.................
....Is anyone surprised by this finding?
This was so very clear by how he handled the tragedy, and tried to hide from his personal and corporate responsibility for it.

curtis | 10:47 a.m. March 15, 2008

Every time I do something stuppid or wrong I will just say I was bullied. How about the inspectors stop acting like there in junior high and take responsability for there actions.

Raul | 11:48 a.m. March 15, 2008

Not a bully? I wonder what the miners would think of that? Ask them about the "murray Christmas" they enjoyed. I think that he is a joke, acting like he cared. A Tweeedle dumb in overalls with a coal smudged face broomstick in hand means very little in the way of caring.

Abusive | 12:14 p.m. March 15, 2008

We have abusive Judges and Other Judicial people in the system that will not do their jobs
We might look at the Senate and the House as we are looking at problems in Utah
Cheap pay is what you get with these 40 year Senitors and House Members
Judges think they own everything as well.
Knowing my Constitutional and Civil rights
I was Convicted of Threatening to kid nap and kill a Judge
I guess they showed me ????
This is Utah
No Rights

Vernal Mike | 12:34 p.m. March 15, 2008

Mining's management blusterers are out in force with their combative critiques of Lee Davidson's factually excellent investigative article. Punks like reprterson were unearthed during the disaster when they shilled out their sympathies for Murray in blogs across the country. Now, no one takes their side and no one is listening to them, they will fall with Murray because they're just as dirty as him. The question of Murray's power suggests that all those political contributions paid off in aces. How else to explain his successful bullying. Now that Murray has been exposed in print backed by the record, it's time to find out which political figures supported him and when it worked against the Utah miners. This mess won't be settled until the investigation takes a criminal turn against Murray and reveals his political allies.

RogerWilco | 1:34 p.m. March 15, 2008

"Murray also got vocal on the issue of Tim Thompson having inspectors put a closure order on his longwall and that he complained to someone in Congress about it and that Mr. Thompson resultantly lost his job."

That "someone in Congress" would be our own Senator Orrin Hatch, Bob Murray's friend and biggest recipient of his political donations.

Lynn Tilton | 4:29 p.m. March 15, 2008

Inspectors should do their job. Simply report the problems, then give the offender 7 days to show improvements when the inspector visits again. Those inspections should continue at such an increased rate until the operator is in compliance.

If an inspector fears a bully, then he should find another job. After all, what good is it to be an inspector if the supervisors also are afraid of a bully?

Inspectors need to avoid the temptation of using regulations to bully the inspected into compliance. Complaints by the inspected should be reviewed to ensure fairness. If the inspected cannot handle being inspected, then he should find another field to work in.

Either way, dump all the complaints into the laps of those who mandate inspections.

Jack | 5:29 p.m. March 15, 2008

To some of those above: the MSHA is a Federal agency, hence the hearings in Washington, not Salt Lake City. The Utah government has little or nothing to do with the performance of the MSHA.

To Lee Davidson: excellent piece. Thanks for calling a spade a spade. Mr. Murray, in his haste to remove the longwalls and then pillars for profit, now has the blood of nine persons on his hands.

To Ed and Colin: go get em. They deserve it. It's not often that we get to root for the trial lawyers, but you guys are doing coal miners and public a great service here. Sue Mr. Murray and his company straight into hell.

mike | 10:33 p.m. March 15, 2008

I am a union pipefitter, and no one bullies me! If they do, the crap hits the fan. If I get threatened, the person making the threat is confronted. It seems that this man has everyone by the throat. It will be nice to see some accountability whether he is right or wrong. I hope for his sake he wasn't putting his money before his workers lives and the lives of their children. I was not always a union man, but at least I can pay my bills now and I have health insurance. United we bargain, divided we beg!!

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