MSHA files record number of temporary reinstatement requests

MSHA filed 39 requests with the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission during fiscal year 2012 for temporary reinstatements on behalf of miners who submitted complaints of discrimination in the form of a suspension, layoff, discharge or other adverse action. The 39 requests are the most MSHA has filed in a single fiscal year.

MSHA filed 79 temporary reinstatement requests from October 2009 through September 2012 – an average of 26 per year – compared to an average of seven per year from October 1993 to September 2009.

“MSHA strongly encourages miners to exercise their rights under the Mine Act and maximize their involvement in monitoring safety and health conditions,” says Joe Main, MSHA assistant secretary of labor. “In turn, we will vigorously investigate all discrimination complaints.”