Thousands of miners gathered in Pennsylvania on Friday to advocate for their rights as the coal industry struggles.
Bankruptcies are sweeping the industry and coal production is down. Recently, around 465 workers were laid off from two mines in Wyoming's Powder River basin.
John Smallwood, a miner from West Virginia said the coal industry's troubles are hurting his town too.
"A lot of people are struggling. They're not making the money. There's layoffs at other coal mines around us. And I see friends that ain't working. Everybody is just trying to get by with less," Smallwood said.
Many protestors at the rally were angry at coal company executives for trying to scale back retiree benefits. Some said environmental regulations are behind the industry's decline.
