Drummond Company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Drummond Company, Inc. | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1935 |
| Headquarters | Birmingham, Alabama, USA |
| Key people | Garry N. Drummond Sr., Chief Executive Officer Walter F. Johnsey, Chief Financial Officer |
| Industry | Coal Mining |
| Products | Coal, By-Products, and Real Estate |
| Revenue |  $1.90 billion USD (2006) |
| Employees | 5,100 (2006) |
| Website | http://www.drummondco.com/ |
Drummond Company, Inc. is a privately owned company based in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, involved in the mining and processing of coal and coal products. The company was founded in 1935 by H. E. Drummond, and remains under the management of his sons.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Drummond operates the Shoal Creek mine in northwest Alabama and La Loma mine in the Cesar department in northern Colombia. Both mines produce bituminous coal. Output from Shoal Creek is sold to Alabama Power under long-term supply contracts. Production from La Loma, comprising almost 50% of all coal mined in Colombia, is exported to 11 countries.
The company also owns the ABC Coke plant in Tarrant, Alabama.
[edit] Estate of Rodriquez v. Drummond Co.
In April 2003, the U.S. District Court in Alabama hearing the case against Drummond allowed a suit brought by Sintraminergetica and families of killed relatives to go ahead, Estate of Rodriquez v. Drummond Co..[1] Sintraminergetica has sued the Drummond Coal Company for allegedly conspiring with paramilitary groups to exterminate the union. This suit was brought after years of abuses ranging from forcing potential employees to undergo lie detector tests to reveal their political affiliation as a condition of employment, to the assassination of union leaders, their displacement from the mining zones, and accusations made against them of being guerilla supporters. On March 12, 2001, Valmore Locarno Rodriguez and Victor Hugo Orcasita Amaya, the President and Vice President of the union local, were taken from a company bus en route from the mine to their homes. Locarno was assassinated with two shots in the head in front of his coworkers. Over the protests of the workers, Orcasita was taken away in a truck. The next day his body was found, with obvious signs of torture. On October 5 of the same year, under similar circumstances, Gustavo Soler, the union's new president, was taken from a bus, taken away in a pick-up, tortured, and killed. His body was found on October 7 by people from the area. The court ruled that Sintraminergetica has standing to bring suit against Garry Drummond and the Colombian managers of the company under the Alien Torts Claims Act. The crimes committed violate ILO pacts and agreements, and are also crimes against humanity and war crimes, according to U.S. and International Law.
Drummond Company has brought many jobs to the country and a level of stability to mostly poor coregimiento of La Loma, Cesar which has suffered civil unrest and corruption scandals. The company established a village for the mine workers and their families to live. The Drummond family established a school in the town for the mine workers children.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Estate of Rodriquez v. Drummond Co., 256 F. Supp. 2d 1250 (N.D. Ala. 2003)
