Updated 6:15 p.m.
UMWA this afternoon that they and Patriot have "agreed to return to the bargaining table next week."
Original Story:
St. Louis-based Patriot Coal officials deny that the company .
In a released late Wednesday Patriot president and CEO Bennett Hatfield called the UMWA鈥檚 assertion "inaccurate and distorted."
Last month a federal bankruptcy judge Patriot鈥檚 plan to change the collective bargaining agreement.
Union officials said Wednesday that Patriot officials walked out of talks and indicated that the court-approved plan would take effect July 1.
The UMWA plans a vote before then, which could lead to a strike.
In Patriot鈥檚 statement Hatfield said a strike would "put the company on the path to liquidation," which would be the "worst possible outcome for UMWA employees and retirees."
