Barack Obama, Mitt Romney

The Federal Election Commission has declined to act on charges that Ohio's Murray Energy coerced its workers to make campaign donations to Mitt Romney and other Republicans. The company accuses President Barack Obama of waging a "War on Coal."

(David Goldman, Associated Press)

WASHINGTON - Even though Federal Elections Commission staff found strong indications that Murray Energy coerced campaign donations from its workers, the enforcement agency won't pursue charges against the Pepper Pike coal mining company after its oversight board deadlocked on whether to do so.

FEC's three Democratic members were outraged over a 3-3 vote on April 12 that was made public on Friday. They released a statement expressing fear the precedent would let corporations "feel they may ride roughshod over the rights of their employees."

"This case strikes at the heart of one of key values of the American workplace; that employees should be free to maintain their personal political beliefs and not be compelled to participate or contribute based on their employers' interests," said the letter from commissioners Steven T. Walther, Ann M. Ravel, and Ellen L. Weintraub.

The GOP commission members who declined to charge the company did not release a statement. FEC's press office says they plan to issue one within the next week.

Here's what you need to know.

Background: Murray Energy has repeatedly accused the White House under President Barack Obama of waging a "War on Coal" through environmental enforcement actions. It has also urged support for candidates such as the last GOP presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, whom it felt would be more favorable to the industry.

The company's activities during the last presidential election prompted repeated FEC investigations. Last year, the FEC dropped a probe of whether the company's miners were coerced into attending a Romney rally, although it fined Murray Energy $5,000 for failing to put disclosures on anti-Obama signs it produced to show the signs were paid for by the company.

The current complaint: A watchdog group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed the current complaint against Murray Energy after a 2012 New Republic article described how Murray "has for years pressured salaried employees to give to the Murray Energy political action committee (PAC) and to Republican candidates chosen by the company."

"Internal documents show that company officials track who is and is not giving," the article said. "The sources say that those who do not give are at risk of being demoted or missing out on bonuses, claims Murray denies."

Lawyers for Murray said the company's actions didn't violate election law and told FEC it would be unfair to pursue charges based on anonymous complaints in the article.

"That a person is annoyed by ongoing solicitations or "feels" pressure, or that a person is asked to give a specified percentage of salary to support the company PAC, likewise does not constitute a violation of law," said a filing from Murray's attorney, Scott E. Thomas. "There has to be an actual threat of job discrimination (detrimental job action) or financial reprisal."

FEC staff recommendations: FEC staffers who investigated the allegations found that some campaign donation requests to Murray employees didn't contain required anti-coercion language, and recommended further investigation to "clarify the factual record."

The report they submitted to commissioners said "the presently available record suggests that Murray and Murray Energy solicited employees for contributions to individual candidates in a manner that further elevated the pressure to contribute, including the implicit threat that potential job-related reprisals may follow for not doing so."

It recommended FEC find that Murray Energy, founder Robert E. Murray and the company's political action committee violated the law by "coercing Murray Energy employees to make contributions to federal candidates and participate in fundraising activities supporting federal candidates."

April's tie vote on whether to implement those recommendations ended the matter.

Reaction: "It's really disappointing, because this seems like a pretty clear case of something someone should not be doing," said Jordan Libowitz, a spokesman for the watchdog group that filed the complaint. He called for the commissioners who voted against pursuing charges to list their reasons. "An organization or employer should not be intimidating its employees to contribute politically."

Murray Energy released a statement that indicated it was pleased the FEC ruled "that there were absolutely no issues relative to Murray Energy Corporation or Mr. Robert E. Murray."

"We have known this for the past four years," its statement continued. "Yet, the biased Democrat Commissioners would not let this go, and still have issued a politically motivated, false, and inflammatory statement. Nevertheless, the Company and Mr. Murray consider this matter closed, and will continue to vigorously exercise their rights to participate in the political process as the law allows."