Coal Company Accused of Intimidating Whistleblowers

In 2014, Murray Energy Corporation CEO Bob Murray held mandatory all-staff meetings at five underground mines in West Virginia where he emphasized the vulnerability of the miners’ jobs. During his speeches, he announced that workers who file anonymous safety complaints with the government about the company must also alert the mine management.

Federal regulators recently issued approximately 70 safety citations at the five mines, spurred by anonymous worker complaints. In response to Murray’s mandates, the U.S. Department of Labor ordered Murray Energy to rescind the management order and pay $120,000 in civil penalties. — Eliza Laubach