Joe Main
Encyclopedia
Joe Main is the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, and head of the United States Department of Labor's
Mine Safety and Health Administration
. He was nominated to serve the position by Barack Obama
and took office after being confirmed by the United States Senate
on October 21, 2009.
Main was born and raised in Waynesburg
, Greene County
, Pennsylvania
. He began working in coal mines in 1967. In 1974 he was hired as an assistant to the International President of the United Mine Workers of America. He later served as a safety inspector, administrative assistant and deputy director in the UMWA's Safety Division. In 1982 he was appointed administrator of the UMWA Occupational Health and Safety Department where he oversaw health and safety programs.
President Obama's nomination of Main met with support from the UMWA and Representative
George Miller, chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor. In a statement, the UMWA said "we look forward to working with Joe and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
to reverse the years of decline in both labor law and health and safety enforcement that occurred at the Department of Labor and MSHA under the previous administration."
Between his nomination to head the MSHA and concluding his career with UMWA, Main worked as a mine safety consultant and served on federal advisory committees, joint labor-management committees, mining industry partnerships and international committees relating to mine safety.
With Main's Senate confirmation on October 21, 2009, he became the first to be confirmed to the MSHA position since 2004, following acting-Assistant Secretary Dick Stickler
. He was expected to initiate more strict regulations as a result of a 2006 law passed after a series of mine accidents resulted in the deaths of 47 miners.
The Charleston Gazette
described Main's objectives in his role at MSHA following a conference call in which he describes his plans to the media. They included acting "fairly quickly" on a plan to end black lung disease
; examine changes to emergency response procedures following accidents including those at Sago
, Aracoma
, and Crandall Canyon
in 2006 and 2007; and taking a more supportive stance with whistleblowers
who report unsafe working conditions.
United States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
Mine Safety and Health Administration
Mine Safety and Health Administration
The Mine Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor which administers the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to enforce compliance with mandatory safety and health standards as a means to eliminate fatal accidents, to reduce...
. He was nominated to serve the position by Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and took office after being confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on October 21, 2009.
Main was born and raised in Waynesburg
Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
Waynesburg is a borough in and the county seat of Greene County, Pennsylvania, United States, southwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 4,184 at the 2000 census....
, Greene County
Greene County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 40,672 people, 15,060 households, and 10,587 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 people per square mile . There were 16,678 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. He began working in coal mines in 1967. In 1974 he was hired as an assistant to the International President of the United Mine Workers of America. He later served as a safety inspector, administrative assistant and deputy director in the UMWA's Safety Division. In 1982 he was appointed administrator of the UMWA Occupational Health and Safety Department where he oversaw health and safety programs.
President Obama's nomination of Main met with support from the UMWA and Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
George Miller, chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor. In a statement, the UMWA said "we look forward to working with Joe and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
Hilda Solis
Hilda Lucia Solis is the 25th United States Secretary of Labor, serving in the Obama administration. She is a member of the Democratic Party and served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009, representing the 31st and 32nd congressional districts of California that include...
to reverse the years of decline in both labor law and health and safety enforcement that occurred at the Department of Labor and MSHA under the previous administration."
Between his nomination to head the MSHA and concluding his career with UMWA, Main worked as a mine safety consultant and served on federal advisory committees, joint labor-management committees, mining industry partnerships and international committees relating to mine safety.
With Main's Senate confirmation on October 21, 2009, he became the first to be confirmed to the MSHA position since 2004, following acting-Assistant Secretary Dick Stickler
Dick Stickler
Richard E. Stickler served as acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Mine Safety and Health Administration between October 16, 2006 and October 21, 2009....
. He was expected to initiate more strict regulations as a result of a 2006 law passed after a series of mine accidents resulted in the deaths of 47 miners.
The Charleston Gazette
The Charleston Gazette
The Charleston Gazette is a five-day morning newspaper in Charleston, West Virginia. It is published Monday through Friday mornings. On Saturday and Sunday mornings the combined Charleston Gazette-Mail is published, which is, more or less, similar to the Gazette.The Gazette was established in...
described Main's objectives in his role at MSHA following a conference call in which he describes his plans to the media. They included acting "fairly quickly" on a plan to end black lung disease
Coalworker's pneumoconiosis
Coal workers' pneumoconiosis , colloquially referred to as black lung disease, is caused by long exposure to coal dust. It is a common affliction of coal miners and others who work with coal, similar to both silicosis from inhaling silica dust, and to the long-term effects of tobacco smoking...
; examine changes to emergency response procedures following accidents including those at Sago
Sago Mine disaster
The Sago Mine disaster was a coal mine explosion on January 2, 2006, in the Sago Mine in Sago, in Upshur County, West Virginia, USA, near the county seat of Buckhannon. The blast and collapse trapped 13 miners for nearly two days; one miner survived...
, Aracoma
Aracoma Alma Mine accident
The Aracoma Alma Mine accident occurred when a conveyor belt in the Aracoma Alma Mine No. 1 at Melville in Logan County, West Virginia caught fire...
, and Crandall Canyon
Crandall Canyon Mine
The Crandall Canyon Mine, formerly Genwal Mine, was an underground bituminous coal mine in northwestern Emery County, Utah.The mine made headline news when six miners were trapped by a collapse in August 2007. Ten days later, three rescue workers were killed by a subsequent collapse...
in 2006 and 2007; and taking a more supportive stance with whistleblowers
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
who report unsafe working conditions.