More than 100 Greenbrier County employees lose jobs
July 31, 2012 ·
One-hundred fifteen people lost their jobs without notice in Greenbrier County on Monday.
Sources tell West Virginia Public Broadcasting that Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Mining LLC in Rupert is idling Mountaineer 1 Mine in Greenbrier County.
West Virginia Mine Power Inc. notified 110 workers that Greenbrier Smokeless would be laying them off while five were fired. West Virginia Mine Power is a consulting firm that provides administrative duties like staffing for companies like Greenbrier Smokeless.
The firm implied that the company is closing Mountaineer 1 Mine after trouble to comply with federal safety regulations. Inspectors issued a K order at the mine last week. The order is usually issued after an accident threatens the safety of miners.
In 1988, Congress passed the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification or WARN Act that requires employers to provide workers with sufficient time to prepare for the transition between the jobs. However, some workers were sent home the same day.
West Virginia Mine Power blames the ‘unexpected MSHA K order’ as well as ‘unexpected decisions by Greenbrier Smokeless to discontinue resolving the issues underlying the K order’ among other things for the short notice.
The firm says the mining company is working on a plan and hopes to bring back the 110 laid off workers within the next six months but warns that an unstable market may not allow reinstatement. The five that were terminated will lose their jobs indefinitely. West Virginia Mine Power has ‘no comment at this time.’
Sources tell West Virginia Public Broadcasting that Greenbrier Smokeless Coal Mining LLC in Rupert is idling Mountaineer 1 Mine in Greenbrier County. West Virginia Mine Power Inc. notified one hundred ten workers that Greenbrier Smokeless would be laying them off while five were fired. West Virginia Mine Power is a consulting firm that provides administrative duties like staffing for companies like Greenbrier Smokeless.