Kentucky seeks Ukrainian miners

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A recent upswing in the coal industry in the Appalachians has led the Kentucky Mining Association to start bringing Ukrainian miners to Kentucky, Reuters reported.

The Greenbaum Doll and MacDonald law firm in Lexington, Ky., has been helping the Ukrainian workers navigate the maze of paperwork needed to enter the country for employment.

The rapid expansion of the coal industry of late has left many rushing to cash in. The number of trainees at Southwest Virginia Community College has jumped from approximately 10 to 78. The trend has been for coal companies to hire younger, less expensive workers, who can then be trained by the companies.

Still, some harbor doubts about the stability of the new jobs in the coal industry, since the current boom could reverse itself just as quickly as it started.

Larry Grayson, a professor of mine engineering at the University of Missouri, was quoted by Reuters as saying, "In the last 15 to 20 years we've seen an increase in (U.S.) coal production, but the workforce has gone down 60 percent. As mechanization progresses there is a displacement of labor."

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, July 29, 2001, No. 30, Vol. LXIX

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