Around 270 jobs will be lost if the Pyrex factory closes, many of them before Christmas

Bernie Sobek of Perryopolis had a job at the glass factory in Charleroi that, at least on the surface, seemed to last forever. After all, glass has been produced at the plant for around 130 years.

But Sobek's 44-year career at the plant owned by Corelle Brands Inc. and its predecessors Anchor Hocking, Corning Glass and World Kitchen will end on Feb. 17, when she and 25 others lose their jobs.

Around 270 employees will lose their jobs as a result of the closure.

“I don’t know what to do,” said Sobek, 60, who has worked in maintenance, on the assembly line and other positions at the plant.

The timing of the job cuts was disclosed in Corelle Brands' most recent filing with the state to comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

The first round of layoffs will begin with 173 job cuts on December 9, followed by 60 more just five days before Christmas. Eleven workers will lose their jobs in two rounds of cuts on January 13th and 27th.

The plant is closing as Corelle Brands moves its Pyrex glass production to its facilities in Lancaster, Ohio. Workers had expected this since Corelle Brands announced it would close the plant in September. According to workers, some of the glass production equipment will be transported to Ohio.

A spokesman for Corelle Brands, which is owned by New York City private equity firm Center Lane Partners, did not respond to a request for comment.

Although the Corelle plant is doomed to close early next year, Sobek said there is a glimmer of hope as several representatives from foreign companies have examined the facility for possible reuse.

“I’m positive about it,” Sobek said, acknowledging that rumors are circulating among workers about what might happen to the plant.

April Sethman of North Belle Vernon, who has worked at the plant for about 25 years, has already decided what she will do when her job ends.

“I'm going to take some time off…visit my daughter and grandchild in North Carolina,” Sethman said.

“We are pretty sad. “This is all corporate greed,” Sethman said of the plant closure.

Charleroi officials had stressed the power plant's importance to the city's economy. The plant offered well-paying jobs and benefits. Many of the plant's employees worked at the plant for decades. And there were generations of the same family toiling in the factory.

The full impact of the closure has yet to be determined by Charleroi officials, said District Administrator Joe Manning.

The district received property taxes and income taxes from the facility. The Charleroi city government, which supplies water and wastewater to the power plant, is expected to lose $20,000 a month in revenue as a result of the closure, Manning said.

Then there is a likelihood that Corelle Brands will appeal the tax reassessment once the company stops production at the plant and the value of the property declines.

The planned closure of the plant follows the announcement in September by another local employer, Quality Pasta, that the company would cease operations and cut 80 jobs.

A manufacturing company has contacted the district about the possibility of using the facility, Manning said.

Several workers spoke about how representatives of foreign companies had toured the plant, indicating an interest in purchasing the facility.

“We’re hoping someone will take over the site so it doesn’t go dormant,” Manning said.

Final discussions about the work

Negotiations are ongoing over the plant closure's impact on United Steelworkers members at the plant, said James Watt, a USW human resources representative. Watt said the company did not offer union-represented workers severance pay.

About 150 workers at the plant may have the opportunity to relocate to Lancaster, Ohio, the company said. Some employees traveled to Lancaster, which is near Columbus and about 170 miles (270 kilometers) from Charleroi, to look at the community, housing conditions and school system, Watt added.

But several workers who spoke to TribLive said they had no intention of moving to Ohio but would instead look for work in the region.

During negotiations with company officials this fall, Watt said there was no indication they were willing to keep the plant open, even if the union offered contract concessions.

The governor's Rapid Response Team was involved in the effort to save the plant, Watt said. However, company officials showed no interest in working with the union or government to keep the Charleroi plant open, the USW representative said.

To help workers who will lose their jobs, the Southwest Corner Workforce Investment Board for Washington, Greene and Beaver counties has allocated about $300,000 to PA CareerLink to help with workforce training and other relief efforts, according to Watt .

The USW is also working with U.S. Senators John Fetterman and Bob Casey to investigate the circumstances surrounding Center Lane Partners' acquisition of the plant.

Casey's office said in a report that the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department must fully investigate the tactics used by Center Lane; He claims it may have escaped regulators' oversight. Regulators should also consider whether Center Lanes' increasing share of the kitchenware market, and in particular the domestic glassware market, creates an unfair monopolistic advantage in those markets.