Kentucky Coal Firm Requests Exemption to English Requirement for Miners

Appeal based on declining "work ethic of the Eastern Kentucky worker"

Non-English speakers may soon be working in Kentucky’s coal mines, if a pending request by the Sidney Coal Company is approved by the Kentucky Mining Board. Though Kentucky law requires that all miners be fluent in English for safety reasons, the Sidney Coal Company asked to be exempted so that it could acquire workers who “have the necessary work ethic,” according to documents submitted to the board.

"At a time when mine safety is a matter of grave national concern, this request for an exemption from this critical safety measure is breathtaking and tragic," said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. "America’s coal miners endure great danger to provide light and heat for our homes and businesses. They must not have their safety compromised by the introduction of a language barrier."

Citing that, "the work ethic of the Eastern Kentucky worker has declined from where it once was," the Sidney Coal Company requested at a Dec. 22 board meeting that state regulators permit non-English fluent miners. Sidney has not withdrawn the request, despite more than 15 mining deaths in the interim, including the recent tragedy at the Sago Mine in West Virginia. The appeal could be considered as early as the next board meeting, which is scheduled for Feb. 23.

"When life and limb are at stake, effective communication is mandatory," continued Mujica. "Adding a language barrier to a worksite already fraught with peril will multiply the danger. States have used a safety rationale to establish English fluency regulations for doctors, nurses, fire fighters, even cosmetologists. Coal mining certainly fits into that list.

"Allowing non-English fluent workers into coal mines is an affront to common sense. I hope that the Kentucky Mining Board will hold firm and condemn this foolish proposal. If not, I fear we have only seen the first in many senseless mining tragedies."

The U.S. Department of Energy reports that Kentucky was home to more than 15,000 coal miners in 2004, second only to West Virginia.

U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English, Inc. (www.usenglish.org) now has more than 1.8 million members.