Some coal companies doing business in Kentucky have not complied with a decades-old state law to protect miners’ wages in case of bankruptcy, and there is no regulatory mechanism in place to enforce the policy, according to a recently published report.
The Lexington Herald-Leader obtained records that show “not a single coal company formed in Kentucky within the past five years has posted a bond required by state law” that would ensure workers get paid if operations suddenly shut down. The investigation comes after Blackjewel LLC issued bad checks to hundreds of miners in the state before abruptly filing for bankruptcy on July 1, resulting in lost jobs, overdrawn bank accounts, and an adverse economic impact on an area already ravaged by a declining coal industry.
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