Coal Miners Agree to Settle Unpaid Wage Claims for $15 Million

A group of coal miners got initial court approval for a deal ending their class action claims that their employers violated wage laws by requiring them to work off-the-clock before and after their shifts.

The $15.2 million settlement is likely to be found “fair, reasonable, and adequate,” said Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings of the US District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. On Thursday she granted in part the parties’ joint motion for preliminary approval of their settlement proposal.

The plaintiffs, who sued on behalf of a proposed class of about 7,000 members, allege they were denied “proper compensation” ...