Coal Miners Block Train Tracks in Protest of Company’s Bankruptcy Gaffe
- They’re demanding back pay for work done in June before filing
- Another bust puts spotlight on how bankruptcies affect workers
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Coal miners angry about a lack of pay during Blackjewel LLC’s bankruptcy are preventing a train from leaving one of its Kentucky mines, escalating tensions as the cash-strapped company scrambles to sell assets.
Since about 4 p.m. Monday, groups of miners have taken shifts blocking railroad tracks outside Cumberland, Kentucky, preventing a train from exiting a Blackjewel-owned coal mine, Mayor Charles Raleigh said in an interview. About 40 miners were at the tracks on Tuesday morning, he said. Local media have posted photos of miners camped out on the tracks.