Charleroi glass plant closure delayed again

For the second time, the closure of the World Kitchen Plant has been delayed.
A communication from Anchor Hocking was sent to “All Charleroi Employees” Thursday stating that “due to business necessity the Charleroi Plant operations will be extended.”
According to the notice, the plant will remain in operation in a two-feeder capacity until Feb. 14.
The Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARN) that have been issued to date will be updated and the adjusted date for separation will be provided in revised notices.
Daniele Byrne, vice president of Steelworkers 53G, which represents workers at the plant, said a new WARN notice is expected to be issued next week. She said many employees are leaving the plant for other jobs.
“The morale is really down,” she said Friday. “People are leaving left and right, going for other jobs. There were three people whose last day was (Friday).”
In January, a WARN notice was received that pushed the first round of layoffs to Jan. 27 with the final round set for April 16. Byrne said that was her scheduled date to be laid off, but believes the latest delay will keep her employed longer. She and her husband each have been with the plant for at least 35 years.
The initial WARN letter, which was sent in October to Mayor Gregg Doerfler, set a permanent closing date for Feb. 28, with the first 173 employee terminations originally scheduled for Dec. 9
Workers were first told in September that plant operations would be moved to Lancaster, Ohio, putting 270 employees out of work.
Byrne said very few Charleroi employees have taken the offer to move to the Lancaster plant.
Charleroi Borough Manager Joe Manning is grateful the employees received an extension.
“We’re encouraged that the longer we can keep these folks working, the happier we are,” Manning said. “I don’t think this is any kind of a sign that they’re going to reverse their decision. We’re grateful they’re going to keep them there a little while longer. We took that to be good news.”
In November, a federal district court granted a motion from Attorney General Michele Henry for a temporary restraining order to pause the closure. However, U.S. District Judge Nicholas Ranjan denied the request to temporarily block the relocation of the plant, saying his decision was based upon the fact that the loss of jobs was not deemed irreparable.
World Kitchen manufactures kitchenware and tableware, including Corelle and Pyrex brands. The history of the plant dates back to 1893, when it was MacBeth-Evans Glass Co.
Ownership has changed hands numerous times in its long history, with the most recent owners being New York-based Centre Lane Partners, following the acquisition of the appliances division of Instant Brands. Anchor Hocking is another company under the Centre Lane umbrella.