Workers at struggling mine accept pay cuts

TROY, Mont. – Miners at Revett Minerals’ copper and silver operation here have taken a 10 percent wage cut, and managers have agreed to a 20 percent salary reduction because of global economic pressures that have squeezed the industry.

Carson Rife, Revett’s vice president of operations, said the 185 workers at the Troy mine accepted the wage cut with little complaint because “they’re glad to still have a job.”

Declining demand for raw materials has caused metal prices to plummet, and Rife said if they fall much more, the mine could face shutdowns.