Troy Mine sets example: Workers, managers weather tough time by compromise, work, willpower, loyalty

Missoulian editorial | Posted: Monday, February 8, 2010 7:55 am |

Something remarkable happened in Troy when a top employer in Lincoln County joined with its employees to weather – and ultimately survive – a potentially crippling downturn in the mining industry.

Like many in this troubled economy, the industrial mining sector has been faltering and mines have been closing throughout the U.S.

But not the mine in Troy .

To be sure, Troy Mine did have its moment when closing looked like a strong possibility. In December 2008, it even even went so far as to issue a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, letter to give its 180 employees advance notice that it might close

But instead of closing the mine, managers asked employees to work harder while accepting a 10 percent pay cut – and set the example by taking a

20 percent cut themselves. Together, they rallied. The workers succeeded in increasing production, and the executives at Revett Minerals, which owns the mine, succeeded in restructuring debt, settling safety violation and resolving a lawsuit brought about by the death of a worker in a 2007 mining accident.

And, as Missoulian reporter Michael Jamison wrote last week, “somehow, some way, in the space of one year, the crews at Troy Mine have emerged stronger than ever. No one lost a job, and it looks like no one will.”

Now, prices for copper and silver are going back up, and the mine workers’ wages have been restored to what they were a year ago, and if things continue to improve, managers at Troy Mine and Revett Minerals may have their wages restored as well.

What’s more, according to Revett chief executive officer John Shanahan, the company’s executives and workers have a stronger relationship than ever. And in turn, the company has a stronger relationship with the Troy community.

The Troy Mine’s workers are made up almost entirely of lifelong community members, thanks to Revett’s decision to hire and train residents instead of already-trained but not-from-the-area workers known as “tramp miners.” Should the company open its Rock Creek Mine in the future, as planned, it will have a ready work force of experienced mine workers.

And loyal. Despite the increased production demands and the lower pay, the mine experienced its lowest turnover rate ever.

That’s not to say that sheer loyalty and willpower were all it took for Troy miners to keep their jobs. If it were, many thousands of unemployed workers in Montana would have their jobs still. Many businesses now shuttered would never have closed.

But Revett and the people of Troy have been fortunate enough to come out the other side of a trying time together, having gained a new appreciation for one another in the process. They deserve our applause for all they have accomplished.

Posted in Editorial on Monday, February 8, 2010 7:55 am