Working families are continuing to protest the actions of Peabody Energy, which they say is trying to abandon its responsibility to pay health care costs for thousands of retirees who worked for the company. Labor and faith leaders are joining workers and retirees in a St. Louis rally at the headquarters of Peabody.

Patriot Coal filed a motion in the Bankruptcy Court of the Eastern District of Missouri to be allowed to pay $6 million to 120 senior executives, company managers and office personnel. The company's top six executives would receive no bonuses in the plan, but the bonuses are being condemned by working families and retirees the company is attempting to deny health care coverage.

Mine Workers (UMWA) President Cecil Roberts and nine other union members were arrested in front of Peabody Energy’s corporate headquarters in St. Louis yesterday, as more than 750 members and retirees sang Amazing Grace and held signs calling for fairness. Several of those arrested had oxygen tanks, and many in the crowd were brought to tears as the arrested protesters were peacefully loaded into the sheriff’s van while Which Side Are You On played on the loudspeakers. The protesters arrived at Peabody after marching from federal bankruptcy court, where Patriot Coal’s lawyers were inside. Those arrested were released later in the day, according to the St. Louis City Division of Corrections. 

Mine Workers (UMWA) members are rallying in St. Louis today to stand up to Patriot Coal's plan to shed promised health care benefits for tens of thousands of retirees and their dependents. As previously reported, UMWA says Patriot Coal was created to fail so Peabody Energy and Arch Coal—the companies that most of the retirees actually had worked for—could get rid of their obligations to former workers. Fairness at Patriot Now will be live-blogging the rally and will march to Peabody headquarters.

You also can follow the AFL-CIO's Cathy Sherwin on Twitter to get live updates. 

In July, Patriot Coal filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Southern District of New York. Among the reasons for Patriot’s financial difficulties were the huge legacy costs related to health care benefits and pensions owed to retirees and widows of former employees. The company's intended goal, it seems, according to the Mine Workers (UMWA), is to get out of obligations to the miners that worked hard for decades, often doing significant damage to their own health.

Bob Soutier, president of the Greater St. Louis Labor Council, spoke today before hundreds gathered outside of Peabody Opera House as the Peabody Energy Corp. held its shareholders' meeting. Union activists and other members of the 99% Spring want the giant coal company to pay its fair share of taxes—because right now, Peabody's tax breaks take funds from those who need it most, such as St. Louis schools and social services.

The 444 workers at the Willow Lake Mine in Equality, Ill., voted last week to be represented by the Mine Workers (UMWA).