Kentucky coal mining company Blackjewel filed for bankruptcy in 2019 and shook the Kentucky mining industry to its core. Sam Petson, a West Virginia lawyer representing the former employees, assured the miners that they would be paid in full what they were owed from Blackjewel. 

This amounted to $17.3 million to cover salaries they could have received in the weeks before the bankruptcy filing or 44 days’ worth of wages for each worker. The settlement applied to all former employees except those called to return to work. 

Before the actual filing of bankruptcy, stories circulated that some miners lost thousands of dollars from their bank accounts, and they were not notified when or why their money was taken. A class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of the miners, who were backed by concerned citizens, media outlets, and various organizations. 

The settlement focused on Blackjewel’s failure to adhere to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, a federal law requiring businesses to give employees 60 days’ notice of an impending mass layoff.

The question for debate is, should more resources be dedicated to protect miners in Kentucky?