CHARLESTON, W.Va. –The United Mine Workers of America is honoring one of its members in a special way.
Retired UMWA Communications Director Phil Smith said they are working to establish the Cecil E. Roberts Legacy Museum.
Roberts began his career as UMWA District 17 president, became the union’s international vice president in 1982, and served as UMWA president from 1995 to 2025, succeeding Richard Trumka.
Smith said they want the museum to showcase Cecil Roberts’ accomplishments throughout his career.
“He’s been through a lot of things in his life, so we wanted to have a place to show that, to demonstrate that he collected many awards, and what’s really amazing is how many handmade things from our members that were given to him, just shows the level of appreciation that our members have for Cecil,” he said on MetroNews Midday last week.
Smith said the project was made possible by the Cecil E. Roberts Legacy Fund, which raises money both to educate West Virginians about the state’s labor history and to support the museum.
Smith highlighted some of the initiatives and achievements Roberts was involved with during his time in the coal industry.
One example Smith cited was the series of coal industry bankruptcies in the 2010s, which put thousands of retirees’ healthcare and pensions at risk.
“Cecil developed a plan that was based around the idea that we’re not going to lose, because we’re not going to quit, and that’s what we did from 2013 to the time we finally preserved healthcare with the act of congress in 2017 and preserved the pensions again with the act of congress in 2019,” Smith said.
He also noted that as vice president, Roberts led the 1989 Pittston strike, which lasted 321 days after the Pittston Coal Company terminated health care benefits for about 1,500 retirees, widows, and disabled miners.
Smith said the museum already has a variety of memorabilia, including news clips, photos, statues, and donated artwork.
“There’s a small bronze statue that probably weighs about 90 to 100 pounds of a miner trying to lift timbers off another miner who was trapped in a roof fall, and just the imagery of it when you look at it, it’s really just a wonderful piece of art,” he said.
The museum is planned for UMWA District 17 at 1300 Kanawha Boulevard East in Charleston.
Smith said last week they began organizing the museum’s items and discussing paint choices.
He said they hope to officially open the museum this summer.
“We’re looking at trying to get this in shape and open sometime in June of this year,” Smith said.
Smith said they will be putting updates on the project at their website here.