MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Murray Energy Corp., operating mines in Marshall, Ohio, Monongalia, Marion and Harrison Counties, has been ordered by an administrative law judge to better inform miners of procedures to file complaints with the Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.
“Judge Miller, who has historically been very biased against coal companies, was clearly wrong in her decision and we will immediately appeal,” the company revealed in a statement to media.
The November 18, 2015 decision by Judge Margaret A. Miller, which included a $150,000 fine for the company, was following complaints that President and CEO Robert E. Murray threatened mine closure when United Mine Workers of America filed confidential complaints about mine safety and conditions.
“No one wants to see total employee safety more than Mr. Robert E. Murray. Indeed, Mr. Murray frequently tells our employees that “There is no pound of coal worth getting hurt over” and no topic is discussed until all safety issues are fully addressed. Any suggestion otherwise is a blatant lie,” Gary Broadbent, Murray Energy Media Director wrote in a release.
More than 2 dozen safety citations were written against Murray Energy Corp. from March to April 2014. Those violations were reportedly discovered following miner complaints to MSHA.
Meetings with employees were held following the complaints.
According to Broadbent, “All that Mr. Murray said is that employees should also report safety concerns to management so that these concerns can be addressed immediately. There is a long history of UMWA-represented hourly employees filing false safety complaints with the Federal Government to intimidate management.”
Murray Energy Corp. purchased the West Virginia mines from Consol Energy for $3.5 billion.