By Erica Peterson
Louisville, KY – The federal government has filed a lawsuit on behalf of thirteen Kentucky coal miners who say they were discriminated against over their race. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit earlier this week in the Western District of Kentucky against River View Coal.The lawsuit alleges that thirteen African-American miners who applied for jobs at River View Coal's mine in Union County were rejected because of their race. Aimee McFerrin is an attorney with the EEOC's Louisville office. She says discrimination isn't subjective, and there are a number of ways to prove inequality in cases like this one:
"You look at the number of available qualified minorities in the area compared to the area that are actually applying compared to the number that are actually getting hired. And then you compare that with the number of whites who are getting interviewed and hired in the area. And you look to see if there's a statistical disparity."
The EEOC is asking for a jury trial to recoup damages for the coal miners. In a written statement, River View Coal General Manager Heath Lovell said the allegations are untrue and the company is an equal opportunity employer.