CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia mining industry employees and their families were dealt a major setback Friday as notices of expected layoffs were issued for more than 1,000 workers.
In Wayne County, 439 employees at Rockspring Development's Camp Creek Underground Mine and Processing Plant were notified that the facilities were expected to be idled, according to a news release from Alpha Natural Resources.
Meanwhile, the Monongalia County Coal Co. issued a notice of a massive layoff at the Monongalia County Mine located on Shamrock Road in Wana. The coal company said in a news release that it would affect 428 United Mine Workers of America workers and 160 nonunion employees.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin sent out a statement about the latest hit for the mining industry, calling the situation "heartbreaking for our miners, their families and the communities in which they live."
The announcement by Alpha of the expected layoffs in Wayne County did not specify a date. All of the Monongalia County layoffs are expected to be by Aug. 7.
4:30 p.m. UPDATE: Murray Energy Layoffs Planned Company may idle about 1,800 workers at nine sites May 22, 2015
From Staff Reports , The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register
WHEELING - A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice filed with Work Force West Virginia Friday afternoon indicates Murray Energy will lay off 588 coal miners from the Monongalia County Mine by July 24.
The work force reductions are part of what is expected to total about 1,800 Murray Energy layoffs. The mine operated as the Consol Energy Blacksville Mine prior to Murray acquiring it as part of a $3.5 billion deal Dec. 5, 2013.
St. Clairsville-based Murray operates coal mines in both Ohio and West Virginia. The 1,800 anticipated layoffs equate to roughly 20 percent of the company's total work force. A weak coal market, coupled with large coal stockpiles and an increase in the use of natural gas for power generation, has hit the company hard recently. Coal prices have declined steadily over the past year, and are lower now than natural gas. 