So, i'm really curious... with the guys we have on here from different bituminous regions, What are the starting wages at the local mines in your areas for red hats? For Miners? for Foremen? Anyone know? Union / Non Union - doesn't matter.

How about for mining engineers?

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Massey energy are paying their section foreman around 101,000 thousand dollars a year. most equipment operators are getting 25-30 an hour. Big river in Mason county WV are paying their miner operators 40 an hour. Electrician wage 29 to 37 an hour. I turned down an electrician job the other day 120,000 a year and free fuel.

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That's it. I need a new job.

I called my Miner Friend and here his input for Southwestern Indiana

Black Beauty Underground:

$17 - 19 / Hour to Start
$23 - 26 / Hour after 1 year
Foreman 90 to $105,000

Black Beauty is a Non-Union subsiduary of Peabody Coal.

Black Beauty Surface is about 65 cents an hour behind U/G.

Solar Sources is a small, non-union surface mining company and they are about:

$11.50 to 15 / Hour to Start.

He went on to comment that there is a wide difference between the companies and the working conditions. BB is real strict and hard-nosed about overtime. And they require a lot of it. Solar is more laid back and easier to work for.

What I want to know is how this compares to the independent anty miners?

guess it depends on the mine. most you get paid by the shift, like us. you get X ammount of dollars whether you work 5 hours or 10 and you get paid when the coals on the ground. lets just say its worth the hour and fifteen minute drive from home! banks would know about the bigger mines as he worked harmony.

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wow.. the pay out there is pretty awesome.......................................


Harmony was $16 an hour start underground. Kimmels was $17. I don't know what the foremen make. usually 48 hour weeks... 4 - 10s and 8 on Friday.

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This ain't longwall... this is long hole!

This discussion is interesting, but it is really just academic, all theory but of little real value.

The amount of pay is a very small portion of what makes a job important, and when you start working just for he money, no amount is enough. In fact it is my experience that working for an amount of money is a very sorry state.

AMEN DOUG
Everbody these days looks at how much a job pays but what they don't look at is how happy your are doing a Job. I'm making less now than I did at my old job but when I get up in the morning I no longer get sick at the thought of going to work.

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"We don't look for any money all we look for is a little help and the only help we get is for the government to shut us down and if you go to the gas station and buy the gas you'll see why..........................you'll see why"

nice doug.... mike, i forgot to tell you that john and i had that exact same conversation yesterday up at the face of the rock tunnel. its true, you can make the most money in the world but still be poor in spirit. or you can make just enough to get by and be rich!

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Here here!

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This ain't longwall... this is long hole!

Or you could have a job you like, be stuck in the"downsizing," and do what you have to do just to get by when you have a mortgage and bills to take care of.

I think the Independents can back me up on that one.

~S

American Coal
$15.00 to start for red hats
$16.50 after 90 days if you stay outby
$ 22.40 for a scoop operator
$23.40 buggy
$24.40 miner

not sure about anything else

Whys a buggy more than a scoop? because of the retractable cable and that they're running more?

I like the outby thing.. thats a good idea! probably a lot of mines out there do that but i've never seen heard of a raise based on your compliance like that!

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This ain't longwall... this is long hole!

I guess that since the buggy is more production than the scoop.But that is just a guess. A couple of nights ago both buggies were down, and I was going to take that bovergrown scoop and start hauling coal just to get some footage. But they got a buggy up so I didn't do it