CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County-based coal company has issued layoff notices to 65 coal miners.
The Kanawha County Commission announced Tuesday that he has received a WARN notice (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) from Panther Creek Mining for its operations near Eskdale on Cabin Creek.
The layoffs are scheduled to take place in early March.
“It is truly unfortunate that we continue to suffer critical job losses in the mining industry in Kanawha County and for that matter the State of West Virginia,” Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said in a news release. “The layoff of 65 individuals at Panther Creek will affect more than 100 family members in Kanawha County. I am saddened for these employees and their families.”
Commissioner Ben Salango called the news “devastating.”
“I am very concerned with the loss of coal mining jobs in our County and the State. We must find ways to create new jobs in our area to help support these families and grow our economy,” he said.
Longtime Commissioner Hoppy Shores said the loss of jobs was disheartening.
“These families depend on their income to survive. My heart goes out to those who are being laid-off,” Shores said.