A lawsuit against a Union County coal mine accused of discriminating against black job applicants appears to be nearing a settlement. River View Coal is a subsidiary of Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Alliance Resource Partners. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the coal mine in 2011.
An attorney for the EEOC, Aime McFerren, said today that a settlement has not yet been reached and attorneys continue to work on a resolution. Court records indicated the parties reached an "amicable resolution" in late May, and it has been removed from the active docket.
The EEOC alleged that beginning in 2008, River View Coal turned away African-American applicants due to their race. The commission said 13 people filed complaints after being rejected for jobs between 2008 and 2010. They were looking for work at an underground mine in Waverly that employs about 430 people.
