More coal miners lose their jobs.

CAM mining in Pike County announced another round of layoffs Wednesday morning.

This comes four months after hundreds were let go in March and on Wednesday dozens more were let go.

Local CAM Mining officials and parent company Rhino Energy officials will not release any details about the layoffs; they will not give reasons for the cuts or say exactly how many were let go.

Some employees say they got letters telling them it was permanent.

Rick Smith worked at the CAM Mine in Phelps for seven years, but says Wednesday morning he went to work and found out he no longer had a job.

“I went in and they gave me my layoff slip,” Rick Smith said.

He says his co-workers got them too.

Miners and truck drivers at other CAM sites say they were let go too.

The notices do not give a reason why, but in March during previous layoffs, company officials said weak market conditions led them to make cutbacks.

Wednesday's notices say these July layoffs are permanent.

“Not really surprised with the way the coal business is you know, so it's just been slowly going down hill. We really more or less expected it,” Smith said.

It spread to others, Nathan Little says he worked for a construction subcontractor at a CAM mine and also lost his job due to CAM cutbacks.

“It was real hard. We had to adjust a lot of our income, a lot of our expenses,” Little said.

Now the workers are filing for unemployment so they can pay their bills and support their families.

The life-long miners are not sure what their future holds, but say they hope the coal industry picks back up.

Officials at the Office of Employment say they will help the miners laid off with job training or whatever else they need if they are looking for a different career.