Alpha to lay off 117 in Pike County

More layoffs for Eastern Kentucky coal miners are coming, officials tell WYMT.

Alpha Natural Resources issued a WARN notice Thursday to employees of Sidney Coal in Pike County, company officials said.

The layoff impacts 117 employees. The mine is expected to be idled in November.

Michael May, a coal hauler, said the layoffs reach beyond the mine.

"He said it's over with, he said we're done down there," May said while describing a phone call from his boss, Thursday morning.

May works for Mitchell Case Trucking, a company that hauls coal for the Sidney Coal Mine in Pike County.

May said the trucking company will layoff nearly ten employees.

Despite the recent coal decline, May did not expect to wake up Thursday morning without a job.

"They've kept me working this long, you know I've been here four years," May added. "It's just a bittersweet situation right now."

The layoffs have been a constant burden for people across the region. Sometimes separating husband and wife or parents from their children.

"It's a hard position," Michael's wife, Bonnie May said. "He's going to be laid off, don't know if he can stay here or if he'll have to go and find another job at a different mine."

May remains optimistic he will find another job, even if it means traveling out of state.

Officials with Alpha Natural Resources blame the state of the industry for the WARN notice.