A coal producer that purchased multiple Kentucky mines and hired workers from a now-bankrupt company has laid some of the miners off, the Associated Press reported. Kentucky State Rep. Angie Hatton said that miners told her Friday that Kopper Glo, the company that purchased mines from Blackjewel LLC, has idled its mines until at least Dec. 26. Many of the miners worked for Blackjewel, which over the summer laid workers off with little notice, issued them bad checks, filed for chapter 11 protection and had its Black Mountain/Lone Mountain division sold to Kopper Glo. Miners protested and demanded their missing pay, sitting on railroad tracks and blocking coal shipments for two months. In October, under a deal with Blackjewel in U.S. District Court, nearly $5.5 million in back pay was to be issued to the miners.
