Groundbreaker: Q&A with a Salt Miner
An illuminating exchange with a miner who works 10-hour shifts in a vertical shaft: How he got into mining; his thoughts about its future; and his take on wellbeing, culture, safety, and teamwork.
Read my last post, Back to the Salt Mine, before today’s Q&A with Justin, a salt miner, to learn about the mines deep below Lake Erie, Lake Huron, New York State’s Finger Lakes, and elsewhere around the world.
Before our Q&A, Justin shared some background about himself and his job:
I work in a salt mine. I am an industrial mechanic. I have three degrees: associate’s in criminal justice, associate’s in human services, and bachelor’s in human services. It's not common for hourly employees in mining to have a degree. Most are high school graduates and some are not. I was a supervisor at a homeless shelter before I started working at the mine.
I have five years of experience, all in the same mine. I have worked on conveyor crew for two years; six months in production operating heavy equipment and loading explosives; one year of underground maintenance working on production machinery; one year of surface maintenance working on ore skips and man skips; two months of shaft crew, most recently. The shaft crew job is the craziest — working in a 100-year-old vertical mine shaft. It is 2,400 feet deep. [Note: If you don’t recall from Heigh Ho’s original salt mine article, envision 2400 feet by imagining two Empire State Buildings stacked atop one another.]
Bob Merberg: Justin, you’ve worked in a salt mine for five years. Can you describe the work? If someone observed you, what would they see you doing?
Justin: Working on shaft crew means working in a 2400-foot vertical shaft. It’s over a hundred years old and is a timbered shaft. Typically we “rig in” a work deck to the bottom of the ore skips [ore skips are lifts that hoist mined material to the surface] to inspect the shaft for damage or clear debris that could fall on us while we are working. We replace wooden elements within the shaft that are damaged by convergence of the surrounding rock. While on the work deck we wear a harness and lanyard to protect us from falling down the shaft.
What’s your work schedule like?
I work a split weekend shift: four 10-hour shifts. Thursday and Friday 6am-4. Saturday and Sunday noon to 10.
How’d you get into mining?
When I was working at the homeless shelter they announced they were closing the shelter in 30 days. I started applying to jobs immediately and the mine called me in 24 hours. I was training in less than a week. I had a background in building trades as I had been to trade school before college. The jobs at the mine pay more than I would make working in my field on salary and I have almost unlimited overtime and six-month bonuses.
What do you like and dislike about your job?
I like fabricating and building things. It’s satisfying to stand back and look at what you created. I don’t like that the mine is almost constantly over 80 degrees and dusty.
If someone visited the mine for the first time, what would the sights, sounds, and smells be?
Riding the skip to the bottom… The skip is the man-lift or elevator. It scares most people as it’s loud and there’s rattling and banging on the guides. The air smells of diesel exhaust and it’s very dry. The mine workings are huge. It’s like being in an endless warehouse. It’s dark in 99% of the mine. The only places that have lights are maintenance areas. Your cap lamp or headlights on your truck are usually your only source of light. It’s almost overwhelming when you turn your light off and stand in the dark. Like being in a deprivation pod.
You’ve worked with explosives. Any reflections on what that's like?
Loading explosives is probably the hardest job at the mine. We use compressed air to pack the 20-foot drill holes with ANFO. The height of the holes range from the floor to 12 feet up. There are approximately 40 holes in a heading and we loaded five a night. You use a HDPE plastic tube to load the explosives in the holes. You have to push the tube all the way to the back of the hole, turn on the compressor and pull it out fast. They use two tons of explosives per shift for three shifts every day.
You mentioned someone you spoke with who didn’t realize that mining is still a thing. What’s your reaction to that type of sentiment?
I feel like when people hear miner they think 1840s gold rush miner. Miners are an increasingly rare breed. In my mine the old timers are retiring and they can’t find people who want to do the work anymore. It’s too dirty and dangerous for most people.
How risky is your work? Are you satisfied with the mine operator’s precautions and the safety training you receive?
Safety is very important to everyone I work with. The sentiment is if you don’t feel comfortable or safe doing something just speak up. I have always repeated this to anyone new. We always do pre-job analysis and try to find holes in our plan or acknowledge where something could go wrong.
Any thoughts about the challenges for salt mine workers in the 2nd or overnight shift?
Mining is weird as all the shifts are in the dark so it always feels like you are working at night. This time of year I go to work in the dark and come home as the sun goes down. So I’m in the dark half of my week.
My understanding is that industrial mechanics in salt mines are likely to earn $60K to $90K per year. Is that about right?
I make approximately $70k with bonuses and no overtime.
How do you feel about your pay and benefits?
Shaft work is very dangerous and likely not worth any amount of pay. I am literally only doing it to say that I did. How many people get the opportunity to do something like this? The base wage is $30 and we have a shaft work differential. I make $33 when working in the shaft. We only work in the shaft on weekends when production is shut down for maintenance.
Benefits are generous as is paid time off. Workers get 120 hours a year for vacation/sick time. Health insurance is decent but very limited in options. We are offered paid training. I was able to attend two 20-hour welding classes. I previously had no welding skills and because of work I now have a skill that is valuable to my employer and me personally.
What's the number one thing your employer can do to improve your wellbeing (defined however you like) as a worker?
The best thing they could do for me is close the shaft I work in. It is deteriorating at an increasing rate. I really can’t believe it’s still in operation after 100 years. It is the only wood-lined shaft in the United States that is still used in production.
What's the number one thing you can do to improve your own wellbeing as a worker?
Get more sleep.
How well do workers in the mine get along with each other?
Workers in the mine get along pretty well. Honestly, it’s one of the only places I work where you can voice your opinion on anything and you don’t have to worry about HR. Our mine didn’t even have an in-house HR department for years even with 100+ employees. New guys tend to get harassed by some employees.
People talk about “work culture” a lot. Do you feel like workplace “culture” – however you choose to define it – is important in your experience at work?
You’re expected to try to help or work all the time. If you have an idea on what we are trying to do you should step in and help. Don’t stand and watch someone struggle. Everyone is expected to work hard. Time management seems to be one of the biggest culture issues. People are always running late at the end of a shift and others have to wait for them to travel to surface as a round trip takes 20 minutes, so you can’t leave anyone behind.
Do you feel valued in your job – by co-workers and by bosses?
I do feel valued by my co-workers and bosses. People ask me for input often, mostly because I have a large amount of knowledge about how the entire mine works. I have worked in so many different areas and have acquired many skills. Most miners have only worked one job in the mine. I have worked five different positions. I get bored easily and am always looking to learn and try new things.
Do you have job security, or do you often feel like there’s a possibility of being laid off or having your hours cut?
Over the summer they cut hours by 25% for two months. With the last four years of light winters demand for road salt has been way down. It has just compounded each year.
Will automation impact your job in the future?
Automation is not a direct concern for quite a while.
You hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. Congratulations! That’s usually about a 6-month hike. How’d you get the time off?
I quit and left on good terms with two weeks notice. They hired me back when I was done. It took 164 days to hike from Northern Georgia to Northern Maine. The hike just made me appreciate the things people take for granted. Hot meals, shower, comfy bed, and clean laundry. Nothing like staying in a hotel room after sleeping in a tent for two weeks
Do you think about leaving the mining industry?
I do think about leaving the mining industry for an easier job. But I struggle in environments where I do the same thing everyday. It’s also the best paying occupation in the rural area where I live.
Do you have a strong sense of purpose or meaning in your work?
Whether I am there or not the mine will still run and someday everything I work on will be flooded and buried. They flood mines with water when they are abandoned. So is it futile or is it just about a paycheck?
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience in a salt mine?
With the old timers retiring, people don’t have the skills these men had. New generations of miners don’t have any skills and it makes it harder to get anything done. Mechanical ability and skills like welding are getting harder and harder to come by.
I feel like society is following a downward trajectory where things are going to start to degrade like infrastructure. Even worse than what we’ve seen the last few decades with bridges and buildings collapsing. It’s kind of scary to think about.
Thank you!
My deep thanks to Justin for the time and energy he gave to this dialogue and for his service at work.
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Wow. That’s really interesting. I wonder why they flood it when they abandon a mine... Is it for safety reasons?🤔 Great interview, Bob. Shows that even jobs in salt mines are subject to the climate crisis.