It�s as if we didn�t have the power and the technology to stop most tragedies in the mines of America, but it�s obvious that we lack the will to do so.

Monday�s mine disaster in southern West Virginia killed 25 miners and left four missing at a Massey coal mine in Montcoal, W.Va. It was reported that the mine had a �spotty� safety record. They likely were being generous.

Coal mining never was a safe occupation. Just the idea of having so many workers so far down in the belly of the earth where they could not be reached in case of an emergency was enough to send many to find some other line of work.

All anyone could do during the rescue operation was mourn for the dead and pray for those missing and give as much support to their families as possible. Those things were being done this week and everyone not actively engaged in the rescue just held hands, gathered at churches and public buildings and private homes�and waited.

Despite the numbers of underground coal mines in the eastern U.S. and the numbers of miners, coal miners are a rather small fraternity and they tend to stick together in their communities and, especially in their own mines. They have a sense of solidarity that doesn�t exist in too many other types of work.

In some ways, they don�t want people commenting on a disaster such as that in the Upper Big Branch mine Monday afternoon. That is, they don�t want comments from people who are not miners themselves. They don�t believe that anyone else can appreciate the dangers that underground miners confront every day. They don�t think that anyone else can know the concern of the family members who wait at the surface for the duration of every shift - every day, throughout the year.

But there are many miners who know that, to make the mines safer, there had to be someone demanding that the government that regulates working conditions do something about the mine disasters that occurred regularly for a century.

Unions formed among miners and were some of the toughest and most unified workers in the nation. Over time, despite the incredible power of the coal and �energy� companies and their fight against sensible regulations, the miners prevailed and, by degrees, mining became somewhat safer.

Miners in the U.S. still suffer from black lung, an insidious disease that takes its toll as a kind of wasting of the human body and spirit. It�s not that those who suffer from it can�t work or engage in physical exertion at the beginning, but it is a progressive disease that gets worse, as long as the cause is still present.

As miners have said, over time, �I�ve got the dust.�

They�re speaking of coal dust and there have been some advances made in combating the conditions that cause black lung in the U.S. However, there are some places where it has been eliminated, or virtually so.

In Australia, the pressure from the miners for the government regulators to do something about black lung resulted in development of technology that just about eliminated the disease years ago. But it cost money.

Here in America, the coal companies did not want to put out that kind of money to eliminate coal dust, because it came out of the profits to shareholders. But because death by black lung is such a terrible way to go, there was long, union-led, fight for legislation and regulation over the past two generations, at both the state and federal level, to lessen the load of dust in the mines and help miners who were suffering the effects of black lung. The idea was to provide some assistance, including treatment and regular health check-ups.

There are ways to curb the disasters in the mines from other causes too, such as the build-up of methane or any other gas deep in the mines that, when they are touched off by a spark or other cause, can result in a disaster like Monday�s. These efforts also are hard-fought and it takes a long time to achieve results.

The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) has fought for mine safety improvements for years, just as hard as it has fought for better pay, health benefits, and pensions. Although the union has not eliminated all of the dangers, it has made progress. Whatever they have been able to achieve, it has been in the face of fierce opposition by mine owners, politicians and judges who have benefited from their relationships with corporate mine owners, and even fellow miners and neighbors.

Comments on one website after the explosion Monday indicated that anyone who pointed out that mine safety needs to be improved and that this will be a tough struggle, was engaged in �political� talk. Considering what happened to so many families this week, there needs to be an increase in such �political talk.�

Speaking from the headquarters of the UMWA in Triangle, W.Va., Cecil E. Roberts, international union president, issued the following statement, shortly after the explosion on Monday:

�The hearts and prayers of all UMWA members are with the families of those lost today at Performance Coal Company�s Upper Big Branch mine. We are also praying for the safe rescue of those still missing, and for the safety of the courageous mine rescue team members. They are putting their lives on the line, entering a highly dangerous mine to bring any survivors to safety.�

�As a mine operated by a subsidiary of Massey Energy, the Upper Big Branch mine is a nonunion mine. Nevertheless, I have dispatched highly trained and skilled UMWA personnel to the immediate vicinity of the mine, and they stand ready to offer any assistance they can to the families and the rescuers at this terrible and anxious time. We are all brothers and sisters in the coalfields at times like this.�

It would be unfortunate if Massey Energy and the community of Montcoal were to reject the offer of assistance from the UMWA, although corporations of great power have exerted unrelenting pressure on communities of workers to ensure that there is a divide between those communities.

Corporate America in the coalfields is no different from Corporate America in any other workplace. Their public relations and propaganda is meant to maintain disunity among workers, so they never realize the power that comes from solidarity.

It�s that solidarity that gives workers, their families, and their communities the strength to fight for changes that will make their jobs safer and make their lives a little better. No family should be apprehensive about a loved one simply going to work, yet miners� families, even though they have become accustomed to the feeling, can�t escape that apprehension completely. Not on a single day.

It was said this week that �only� 34 were killed in mine accidents last year in the U.S. Contrasted with the thousands who were killed (sometimes hundreds in a single incident) in 20th Century mine disasters, that may not seem like many, but that�s not good enough.

For now, in Montcoal, W.Va., all people can do is what has been encouraged: pray or send words of encouragement and condolence, then join the union and fight like hell to see that it never happens again.

BlackCommentator.com Columnist, John Funiciello, is a labor organizer and former union organizer. His union work started when he became a local president of The Newspaper Guild in the early 1970s. He was a reporter for 14 years for newspapers in New York State. In addition to labor work, he is organizing family farmers as they struggle to stay on the land under enormous pressure from factory food producers and land developers. Click here to contact Mr. Funiciello.