While the company did not make an official public announcement, company president and chief executive officer Greg Driscoll told the Times-Shamrock that the layoffs went into effect November 12 and would extend through December 3.

“Coal sales are very slow right now throughout the industry,” he said, adding that its year to date had been very strong.

“We have a lot of inventory on the ground and we have to move the inventory we have. We don't have any place else to put coal on the ground right now.”

The three operations affected are at Centralia, Primrose and Lattimer, though the executive did not elaborate on the total number of miners affected.

“We're moving the coal as fast and aggressively as we can and we are absolutely certain of the guys coming back on December 3,” he told the paper.

“We're still selling coal."

Blaschak Coal, headquartered in Mahanoy City, Schuylkill County, was founded in 1937.

Its operations are concentrated in the northeastern region of the state between the Lehigh Valley and greater Philadelphia region. Its raw coal production this year has been an estimated 1 million tons.