New Elk Mine shuts down in Trinidad

Over 250 are now unemployed now. There are alot of folks from Raton that were working over there....

I know my cousin wss one of the 250, poor families

Tiger wrote:

Over 250 are now unemployed now. There are alot of folks from Raton that were working over there....

Infamous topix.....the mine had a 30-60 day temp lay-off because they have 200 tons of coal sitting in the yard that needs to be sold and the price right now on the market is too low to sell it. New Elk is working with another company and so there is some regrouping going on. The 200 employees are subject to recall within the next 60 days. During this time the benefits are paid for and they can draw unemployment with job attached. Those are the facts. Topix is nothing but half-wits reporting half-facts. The article is in the Pueblo Chieftain

Should have been in the Raton Range. Since most people are local, our local paper should have carried the "correct info", don't you think??

It was in the paper on Friday with correct information

Some of your facts are wrong! First of all no the first layoffs are not being paid any benefits, and they did not get unemployment.

frustrated wrote:

Some of your facts are wrong! First of all no the first layoffs are not being paid any benefits, and they did not get unemployment.

Pardon me, but had you read my post it was stated correctly. My post stated the 200 employees that were laid off were laid-off with job attached and yes they do get unemployment. The first group laid off were not job-attached so there benefits would not have been carried and if they were laid-off for lack of perfomance then they would not receive unemployment....Soooo I do not believe my facts are wrong on the 2nd laid-off crew

I was not being rude. I'm sorry, but me my husband and 4 children moved here 1 year ago for this job. He was laid off and our ins was taken away 2 days before my son was to have a major surgery, and now I'm working a job that can't even feed my kids and my husband can't find work because noone will hire him because they know as soon as the mine reopens he will leave to go back to his mining job! I'm just going crazy trying to get facts and ignore the rumors. Today we hear the mine is shut down for good and their hauling all the equipment off. So I'm just looking for truthful answers. Again I'm sorry.

And the first group wernt laid off due to lack of performance. My husband was permoted to a very high paying job the day before the lay off. It was the higher paid experienced guys who were let go first.

frustrated wrote:

And the first group wernt laid off due to lack of performance. My husband was permoted to a very high paying job the day before the lay off. It was the higher paid experienced guys who were let go first.

I am sorry to hear about your son and I hope he is doing well...My brother works at the mine and what he has been told that is that it will be reopened in the next few weeks....the layoff was for 60 days as the mine has to move the coal that they have in stock...China wanted to buy the coal, but at a reduced price as the market was soft..you can follow the mine on their website cline mining corporation....there is not much to report but it seems as they have brought in a new man to oversee production. There is also a company out of Wyoming, Cloud who is looking at buying the mine from Cline....that is all he knows, but the mine will reopen...hope this helps and it has made everyone involved somewhat uneasy....

Thank you for the info. And thanks to state services my son will be having one of his surgeries tomorrow. Well hope all these guys who have waited this out for the last few months can soon have their jobs back. Its been rough but I know it will work out. Thanks again.

This mine is not economic, it will only open if some investors are hood-winked into thinking there can be money made.

So is it re-opening or not? I have heard several rumblings that it will be re-opened with a new potential owner and then another saying it will be closed for good.

Any updates?

Tiger wrote:

So is it re-opening or not? I have heard several rumblings that it will be re-opened with a new potential owner and then another saying it will be closed for good.
Any updates?

The mine is not closing down....there are several rumors about new owners...if you google Cline Mining and Cloud Mining together, there is some indication that Cloud is interested in the metallurgical coal that New Elk has...they deal mainly in steam coal, but want to diversify by adding meta-coal. The mine is advised their workers that it would be maximum 60-day lay-off it is now a little over four weeks....

I don't know if any of you have driven by the mine latley? We took a trip out there the other night and they have new equipment and have added a new belt line and they have even added a new lane to the hwy in front of the mine! So I think it will reopen. So I think we all just need to be patient and have some faith:)

frustrated wrote:

I don't know if any of you have driven by the mine lately? We took a trip out there the other night and they have new equipment and have added a new belt line and they have even added a new lane to the hwy in front of the mine! So I think it will reopen. So I think we all just need to be patient and have some faith:)

I don't think they did any of that recently, certainly not since the layoffs.

well my boyfriend that was laid off on the first round is getting job attached unemployment. the mine will reopen im sure. but ya all need to chill a bit! it freaking sucks to move somewhere with your family and then have to tear them away from somewhere they loved being. my kidshave waited all summer to find out if we're going back to Trinidad. I had to register them here and they are heartbroken. I think that somewhere along the long the line the lines of communication could.have been better used. we've now waited almost 3 months.

Hey jesshoag ;). I'm sorry you and your family had to move away! I sure hope you are able to come back when the mine picks back up!!! Its such a crazy awful situation were put in! But hey were coal miner families so were strong and things will get better for all of us!

To be honest my fiance was laid off the first go round and we are still waiting in the call... I'm just going to vent ..the mine should of been honest with everyone instead of all the run around they have given! With everyone else we have sat in a no name po dunk ghetto town waiting for that mine to pull their heads out of their a$$ we moved here from Utah with promises made, which I have yet to see went from bringing in almost 5000 a month to being on welfare...sad reality ... I blame the current president and the company lack of concern for any of their employees that risked ghirt life every day to make them a profit.

coal supporter wrote:

To be honest my fiance was laid off the first go round and we are still waiting in the call... I'm just going to vent ..the mine should of been honest with everyone instead of all the run around they have given! With everyone else we have sat in a no name po dunk ghetto town waiting for that mine to pull their heads out of their a$$ we moved here from Utah with promises made, which I have yet to see went from bringing in almost 5000 a month to being on welfare...sad reality ... I blame the current president and the company lack of concern for any of their employees that risked ghirt life every day to make them a profit.

There is lots of rumors going around and what I am hearing is the mine is going to start recalling some men the first week of September.....sounds like there has been coal sold and they are getting ready to truck it....keep your heads up fella coal workers..it will happen....