January 16, 2020 - Miner protests in Pike County, Kentucky have come to an end Wednesday as the workers confirmed to LEX 18 that they have been paid in full for their labor.

A fight for miners to get their paychecks they earned is nothing new.

Harlan County miners waited more than three months for their wage. Just a few weeks ago after Perry County Coal shut down a mine, workers had to ask the government to help in receiving their owed wages.

"We've seen it for years, and it's getting worse than ever to where corporate America will come in, take what resources we've got and leave us holding the bag," said Perry County Judge Executive Scott Alexander.

Alexander says Cambrian Coal declared bankruptcy last summer. One of the company's assets, Perry County Coal, was acquired by American Resources Corporation.

"I think they've idled down to nothing. It really shocks me that a company can pick up a company out of bankruptcy in September, and now just a few months later, they've idled the company that they picked up," said Alexander.

American Resources Corporation also owns Quest Energy, the company that operates the Pike County mine where workers halted the trains until they received their paid.

We spoke to one miner who says he had received some wages in the past 24 hours, but was still missing two days of pay.

He didn't want to share his name, but said the group on the tracks were more than ready to fight a cold night out if they had to.

LEX 18's Conroy Delouche had correspondence with ARC earlier on Wednesday. On Monday, the company acknowledged some miners had gone as many as eight days without pay. But today, they ignored our questions about their operations.

In one email, the company representative said:

"Company statement is consistent. We fight for all of our employees and care deeply for them.