ICYMI from the Lexington Herald-Leader: Beshear pledges to enforce wage law, hold coal company accountable amid miner protest
UPDATE FROM THE HERALD-LEADER: KY coal miner protest ends in victory for the few who remained; company pays all wages READ MORE HERE.
By RYAN C. HERMENS
Responding to the pleas of coal miners who blocked a Pike County railroad track Monday night over unpaid wages, Gov. Andy Beshear vowed Tuesday that his state Labor Cabinet will take the miners’ employer to court if the company does not comply with his administration’s demand for records.
During an interview with the Herald-Leader, Beshear laid out a number of other actions that his administration has taken against American Resources Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Quest Energy, which has left dozens of miners without pay for at least two weeks of work.
In addition, Beshear said the Kentucky Labor Cabinet and Energy and Environment Cabinet have begun a comprehensive review of every mine in Kentucky to ensure that coal companies comply with a state law that requires some companies to post a bond to protect miners’ wages in the event of a sudden shutdown.