Mine safety whistleblowers reported retaliation at a rate far greater than any past year, according to statistics compiled by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (“MSHA”) of the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”).  The agency reported 46 requests for temporary reinstatement during the 2012 calendar year, more than double any previous year.  The requests were [...]

Charles Howard, a coal miner and whistleblower who alleged that he was retaliated against in response to repeated complaints he made regarding the safety practices of his employer, Cumberland River Coal Company (“CRCC”), had his reinstatement to his job at CRCC affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Thursday, April [...]

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (“MSHA”) recently filed a complaint with the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission against Ferraiolo Construction seeking reinstatement and compensation for a former employee of the company that MSHA found to have been unlawfully retaliated against in violation of the employee-protection provision of the [...]

Last week federal regulators at the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) presented findings that Massey Energy kept two sets of safety records – one for the company and one for the government.  The regulators found that managers regularly pressured workers to omit safety problems from the official reports at the Upper Big Branch coal [...]