Former Blackjewel coal miners, several who blocked a coal train from moving for several months, were finally paid Friday, after a layoff and a lengthy protest.
Around 1,700 coal miners earned their back pay after a settlement for $5.1 million was reached with Blackjewel Sales and Marketing, according to attorney Joe Childers.
Among those being paid will be 658 of Kentucky’s Blackjewel miners from the Black Mountain and Lone Mountain mines in Kentucky, Gov. Matt Bevins said in a statement.
Blackjewel filed for bankruptcy July 1, without filing the mandatory 60-day advance warning and without posting a bond – which is a requirement by Kentucky law – to cover payroll.
A group of former Blackjewel coal miners block a train carrying coal on August 22, in protest at not getting paid after the company went bankrupt
Behind a locked gate, train cars loaded with coal sit on the tracks at a Blackjewel mining operation in August 2019. Following a sudden bankruptcy, former Blackjewel workers staged the ‘sit-in’ to get owned salary
Unemployed Blackjewel coal miners create a blockage along the tracks leading to their old mine in Cumberland, Kentucky on August 23
Train cars loaded with coal sit on the tracks at a Blackjewel mining operation on August 22, in Cumberland, Kentucky as unemployed miners fought for their lost wages. They received a $5.1million settlement Friday
As a result the miners’ final paychecks bounced, leaving many out of pocket.
That led to the workers blocking the train, frustrated when they were told they wouldn’t get paid for their services leading up to the Blackjewel bankruptcy, CNN reported.
The protests stopped last month.
The New York Times reported lawyers representing the miners in bankruptcy proceedings estimated the employees were each owed about $4,200.
About a month after the company went under, a final load of coal with an estimated worth in excess of $1 million was due to be shipped out.
The miners found their bargaining chip.
Police confront activists supporting a group of unemployed Blackjewel coal miners on August 24, as they blockade the railroad tracks that lead to the mine where the miners once worked. That ultimately led to the out-of-business company awarding $5millon in back pay
For two months during the summer, the once-small blockade of former Blackjewel miners grew into a small tent city with the slogan ‘No Pay We Stay’ as they demanded back pay for work done leading up a bankruptcy
The blockade of the valuable shipment began on the afternoon of July 29, with a handful of miners and their families, camped on the tracks near the Cloverlick No. 3 mine.
For two months during the summer, the once-small blockade grew into a small tent city with a ‘No Pay We Stay.’
The miners and their supporters at the railway camp refused to allow the shipment’s passage until they received the wages due.
People sat in chairs, forming a human chain across the tracks and holding signs that say: ‘No pay, we stay’.
Although the paychecks have been paid out, their benefits have not.
Vacation pay, retirement and health savings account contributions were not covered in the settlement, and mediation begins in early November to resolve these issues.
But former Kentucky mine employee Brandon Pearson told CNN the miners are ‘relieved’ and the money ‘came right on time with Christmas approaching.’
The miners even got thrown into the presidential race when Democratic candidate Senator Bernie Sanders, reportedly sent 18 pizzas to them last Friday. Other politicians have also voiced their support as well as local churches, restaurants and businesses.
Demand for coal has dropped off in the U.S., with the number of active mines decreased by more than half, from 1,435 mines in 2008 to 671 mines in 2017, according to the U.S Energy Information Administration and US Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration.