Timmy Hicks and David Wright have filed separate lawsuits claiming that Massey had demanded that they each pay the company $US7500 plus interest, and stop working for competitors or face legal action, Associated Press reported.
The two apprentice miners worked at Massey subsidiary Spartan Mining for $10.25 an hour, their lawsuits said.
Both miners alleged they were required to sign agreements on their first day at Massey that threatened to fine them if they quit within three years, and banned them from working for a competitor within 90 miles of the company's Kanawha County base of operations within a year of leaving.
According to Associated Press, Massey lawyer Scott Caudill wrote to each miner after they quit the company in January, giving them 10 days to honour the agreements and pay the penalty or else face legal action.
More than half of Massey's new miners leave within a year, with half of them ending up with competitors, Associated Press said.
