Employers in West Virginia posted 29 WARN Act notices in October 2015, affecting an estimated 3,603 workers. The average filing covered 124 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mining & Energy | 21 | 2,736 |
| Utilities | 4 | 528 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 173 |
| Retail | 1 | 100 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 53 |
The Mining & Energy sector saw the heaviest impact with 2,736 workers across 21 notices. On a related front, Utilities reported 528 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Kanawha | 5 | 1,009 |
| Boone | 8 | 972 |
| Marion | 1 | 489 |
| Wyoming | 2 | 329 |
| Raleigh, McDowell | 4 | 208 |
Kanawha saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 28% of all affected workers with 1,009 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Fairview | 1 | 489 |
| Cabin Creek | 1 | 483 |
| Wharton | 5 | 454 |
| Eskdale | 2 | 359 |
| Pineville | 2 | 329 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 28 | 3,503 |
| Closure | 1 | 100 |
Closures accounted for 3% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Coal Corporation, Eastern Associated | Fairview | 489 | Layoff | 2015-10-02 |
| Patriot Coal Corporation Speed Mining | Cabin Creek | 483 | Layoff | 2015-10-02 |
| Patriot Coal Corporation, Emerald Processing, LLC | Comfort | 290 | Layoff | 2015-10-02 |
| Cliffs Natural Resources Pinnacle Mining Company Pinnacle Mine Pinnacle Preparation Plant | Pineville | 253 | Layoff | 2015-10-28 |
| Patriot Coal Corporation Wildcat Energy | Eskdale | 241 | Layoff | 2015-10-02 |
| Patriot Coal Corporation, Hobet Mining | Madison | 198 | Layoff | 2015-10-02 |
| Patriot Coal Corporation, Eastern Associated Coal LLC | Wharton | 191 | Layoff | 2015-10-02 |
| Metinvest Carter Roag Coal Company Pleasant Hill Underground Mine Star Bridge Preparation Plant Beech Mountain Railroad | Blountville | 173 | Layoff | 2015-10-26 |
| Patriot Coal Corporation, Midland Trail Energy | Charleston | 161 | Layoff | 2015-10-02 |
| Patriot Coal Corporation, Gateway Eagle Coal Company LLC | Wharton | 119 | Layoff | 2015-10-02 |
| Patriot Coal Corporation Remington, LLC | Eskdale | 118 | Layoff | 2015-10-02 |
| Cracker Barrel Old Country Store | Triadelphia | 100 | Closure | 2015-10-12 |
| Patriot Coal Corporation, Patriot Coal Services, LLC | Depot | 95 | Layoff | 2015-10-02 |
| Patriot Coal Corporation, Gateway Eagle Coal Company LLC | Wharton | 95 | Layoff | 2015-10-02 |
| Alpha Natural Resources Alex Energy | 79 | Layoff | 2015-10-01 |
The largest notice was filed by Patriot Coal Corporation, Eastern Associated at its Fairview facility, reporting 489 affected workers. Patriot Coal Corporation Speed Mining followed with 483 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the West Virginia labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Mining & Energy sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by West Virginia. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all West Virginia WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.
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