Blindsided: Eagle Butte, Belle Ayr Mines send workers home, close | Local news
Almost 600 workers at Blackjewel LLC's coal mines in Campbell County are suddenly out of service after the firm abruptly closed its Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr mine Monday afternoon.
The move came just a few hours after the company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Reorganization in West Virginia. But proposals that included asking for financial relief to keep mines at Blackjewels 32 operations in Wyoming and the Eastern United States were either denied or not traded.
Online legal mailings from Monday night did not include dispositions for Monday's first day of bankruptcy hearing.
This hearing had been planned for the clock Mountain Standard Time and at 2:30 am the employees who worked at the mine had been recalled. Local management informed them that there was no more money to operate and that they could collect their tools and leave.
"We are loading our toolboxes and everything right now," said an Eagle Butte miner who did not ask to be identified [1[ads1]9659002] "They pulled us into another meeting and (a manager) came in and told us , "We don't have the money. The bankruptcy did not go as planned as we could not pay you. »»
He said workers were told that if the company were to provide emergency relief or credit to throw back operations, they could be called back. But he also said he did not hold his breath when they were also informed that as soon as everyone had left, the power of the mines would be cut.
The leader "was quite emotional and upset, and you could see the sympathy in his heart," he said about the afternoon bombshell. He also said that no one has any bad feelings about local memory management.
"He was pretty teary," he said. "The management had nothing to do with any of this. This is (company president and CEO) Jeff Hoops. These guys are like family and friends out here. They've been out here for five, 10, 15, or more."
Another Blackjewel employee who worked the night shift at the Belle Ayr mine said he called about 3 pm Monday, he says he should not report work.
"I called from my boss and he didn't tell me to come in tonight," he said. The miners also asked not to be identified.
He called early for bankruptcy and then ended the mines hours later "a double whammy" and "a big flap on the face."
He said instead of getting ready for work on Monday afternoon, he spent the time calling his creditors in an attempt to keep afloat financially if the closure was prolonged or permanent.
"This not only damages our employees, it hurts our society, and it hurts badly," he said.
The shutdown follows a turbulent four-day stretch for Blackjewel LLC in Wyoming which started with employees not being paid as usual on Friday.
The mines lost their production Friday and Saturday because most miners left because they had not been paid, both miners said.
They said that while employees were paid Sunday with cashier checks, there have been other signs of financial instability. [19659019] They said the company has not deposited at least four employees' contributions to its 401K pension account and at least three payments in their health savings accounts.
"It's money from our own paycheck, not their contribution," Eagle Butte Mines said
. The Belle Ayr worker said the missing payments, and Friday's missing paycheck was enough to make him skeptical.
"As soon as we missed (paycheck), I updated my resume and started looking," he said. "I look at other mining work around the country. I must."
Other answer
Campbell County officials spent Monday afternoon with the state and local office in the Department of Workforce Services since mining learning closes.
"We're very concerned about that," said Commission Mayor Rusty Bell. "We've been on the phone four times the last 15 minutes with Workforce Services to make sure we get (the affected workers) any services they need."
He said that the county has been through arches and busts before and "we know how difficult it is."
