December 29, 2004

Massey Refutes Claims of Non-Hiring

Officials with Massey Energy say claims that they are not hiring former workers at the Cannelton Mine in Kanawha County are inaccurate. Massey bought the mine, formerly run by Horizon Resources, out of bankruptcy. Miners covered under the union contract with Horizon were laid off and now say they aren't being offered jobs with the new owner.

"Last count I had, we had 36 people working at Mammoth." Says Massey spokesman Jeff Gillenwater. "Ought of those 36, 20 of them previously worked at Cannelton."

Gillenwater says the company restarted production at the mine on December 6th and is running three shifts, two production and one maintenance, on one section of the mine.

Union miners who were formerly employed at the operation continue to stage picket lines at the mine gate. They say they are not being offered jobs by Massey, some even adding that their applications aren't being accepted.

"In addition to the ones we've hired, we had another five who we wanted to hire but turned us down because they claimed they were receiving threats from the union."

Union leaders maintain their demonstrations and their actions to get union miners rehired have been peaceful. But they want UMWA President Cecil Roberts and Massey CEO Don Blankenship to sit down and hammer out a contract that would include the former workers being represented by the UMWA.

"In this market we need to remain flexible and stringent work rules don't allow you do to that." Says Gillenwater. "We think we offer the people that come to work at Mammoth a very good wage and benefits package and hopefully secure employment without needing anyone to speak on their behalf."

Massey and the United Mine Workers have long been at odds. The workers believe they are owed a union contract in their former positions. Massey maintains they purchased the mine free and clear of any previous obligations, enabling them to restart the operation more efficiently.

Gillenwater adds that the average production at the mine during the final days of the Horizon ownership was around 183-feet of coal per shift. He says in the first week Massey had the operation running, they were advancing into the face an average of 343 feet per shift.