By Wendy Holdren

August 1, 2018 - Pinnacle Mine in Wyoming County, West Virginia is set to lay off roughly 90 underground coal miners. 

Bobby Bowman, union president of Local 1713, confirmed the layoffs. He said a handful of miners were realigned to outside jobs. 

Bowman said representatives from the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Career Center will provide information to the laid-off miners, to guide them toward schooling or training, either inside or outside the mining industry. 

“People finding jobs right now — it won’t be easy, but it’ll be easier than the last time.”

Bowman said the last layoffs at Pinnacle happened around 2016, when nearly every union miner was laid off. He said layoffs at all mine sites were common back then. This round of layoffs, he said, isn’t due to a downturn in the coal industry.

“It’s not really an economic problem,” Bowman said. “Coal is booming, but our company has faced some geological problems in the last several months, such as water and air flow.”

Pinnacle Mine is owned by Mission Coal Company.