First job fair this week for prospective miners

Henderson Gleaner

Writer: Chuck Stinnett

The first of two job fairs for recruiting employees to the big new mine that Alliance Resource Partners is constructing in Union County will take place in Henderson this Wednesday.

"It's the starting point for anyone interested in underground employment," General Manager Heath Lovell said last week.

The mine will ramp up to 600 people by late 2010. "We're looking to hired 20 to 30 people a month," Lovell said.

Miners will start at $17 per hour plus benefits, including 100-percent health coverage for employees and their dependents, he said. In less than a year, miners could be earning $23 an hour with production bonuses.

"There will be regular overtime," as is common at mines, Lovell said.

"We don't just need all of them," he said. "We need them all to work overtime."

The first job fair will take place between 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Henderson Community College's new Sullivan Tech Center, located at the back of the college's campus on U.S. 60-West.

The second fair is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, at the Herron Technology Center behind Union County High School.

"We hope to have 1,000 to 1,500 applicants between those two days," Lovell said.

"If you're interested in working in this mine, this is where you start," he said.

Jobseekers will need to spend about one hour at the event. They must have a high school diploma or GED, and should bring a photo ID and a resumé. While at the job fair, applicants will take the Wonderlic Personnel Test.

Mining experience isn't required. "We're looking for 300 inexperienced miners over the next 18 months," Lovell said.

Applicants who score satisfactorily on the Wonderlic will be asked to take the WorkKeys job skills assessment test at a later date at HCC. Those who score well on WorkKeys will be brought in for a job interview and a drug screening.

Those who are hired will spend their first week being paid to attend the government-required 40-hour underground mining safety class. That will include a visit to an underground mine.

"From all the people I've taken underground, whatever their preconceived ideas were, it's different" than they thought, Lovell said.

"Our intent is that the first 20 people will start on Nov. 3," Lovell said.

Alliance plans to transfer another 234 miners from its other mines around the Tri-state -- the Dotiki mine near Providence, the Warrior and Elk Creek mines near Madisonville, the Gibson Mine near Princeton, Ind., and Patiki near Carmi, Ill.

It expects to hire the balance of miners from other companies, including people who live in or near Union County but are commuting a significant distance to another mine. Experienced miners wanting to apply should bring their mining card to the job fair.

"I think a very high percentage of our employees will live in Union County or Henderson County," Lovell said.

"It will be a great job, close to home, with great pay and great benefits," he said.

But others could come from outlying areas. "We've had interest from Harrisburg, Ill.," he said. "We'll get some from Marion and maybe even Madisonville, although the line may be Providence."

"Experienced miners, if they drive more than 50 miles, will try to find a job closer to home," Lovell said.