Pete, who didn't finish high school and spent a lifetime in blue collar jobs, made sure his son learned the value of education through hard labor _ working from 10 a . m . to 10 p . m . hauling hay or hanging insulation in homes.
42.
Although mining wages may sound modest, they represent the best-paying blue collar jobs in this long depressed region : a beginning miner makes just over $ 11 US an hour, while coal veterans make a little more than $ 13, with hefty overtime pay and many benefits in a region where typical workers receive just the minimum wage, $ 3.70 US.
