A Kentucky coal company faces allegations of racial discrimination in hiring, according to a lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of Black applicants.

The suit alleges that River View Coal denied jobs in underground mining positions to a class of qualified Black applicants because of their race. The claims stem back as far as 2008 when hiring began for a new mine in Waverly, Kansas. Thirteen rejected Black applicants filed claims with the EEOC after being rejected without being given any reason why.

“Employers must choose employees based on their qualifications, and not on the color of their skin,” said Laurie A. Young, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Indianapolis District Office.

The agency claims that the mine violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for making employment decisions based on race.

River View Coal, LLC is a subsidiary of Alliance Resource Partners, LP and is the fourth-largest Eastern U.S. coal producer.

 (Photo: AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)