CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Workers at two subsidiaries of Blackhawk Mining learned Monday they may soon be laid off.
The company issued WARN notices at the Winchester underground mine and Tom’s Fork Prep Plant in Kanawha County. The notice covered 146 workers at the operation. Blackhawk also issued a WARN notice to 80 workers at their Hampden #2 mine in Logan County near Man.
Blackhawk, based in Lexington, Kentucky, recently expanded its holdings in West Virginia with the purchase of a number of former Patriot Coal operations when Patriot was liquidated in bankruptcy. The Winchester Mine was among them.
The company expected the termination of workers at the facilities to be around March 11.
Company officials would not comment on the notices other than to say they were a result of market conditions. The Winchester mine produces a mix of metallurgical, thermal, and stoker coal. The Hampden Mine produces metallurgical and foundry coking coals used in the production of steel.