Nation IN BRIEF : WEST VIRGINIA : UMW Sued Under Racketeering Law

A strike-bound coal company sought $60 million in a lawsuit accusing the United Mine Workers of organized criminal activities. The suit, brought by the New Beckley Mining Corp. of Beckley, W. Va., under the federal Racketeer-Influenced Corrupt Organizations statute, claims the union and its members have engaged in nationwide racketeering involving attempted murder, arson and extortion. The company announced also that it will close its mine at Glen Daniel, W. Va., where 130 men have been out on strike since January. It blamed what it called union violence for the closing.