Uniroyal/Hyosung closing...
As the Progress reports, the Tuesday announcement that the venerable tire cord factory near Scottsville is closing in January ruins the holidays for 106 employees. The shutdown also offers another sign that manufacturing in Charlottesville/Albemarle is practically gone. What's left, besides National Optronics, Sperry Marine, Inova Solutions, and NIITEK?
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13 comments
it's also too easy to blame the big bad Union or the big bad Obama.
my pops worked there and retired there wow
All of you against the closing- get together, pool your money and buy the business and the plant! Before you do, check out the books and see just how inefficient and antiquated the facility was, just to make cord for tires.
Those of you upset over this happening during the holidays- perhaps finding out what the separation package is for those affected would be appropriate before coming to any conclusions.................also, this plant has been working with a skeleton crew for years.
how bad was the company's bottom line that they couldn't wait six weeks, until after the holidays? at least let the employees and the whole town, which is ca. 1955, have a decent holiday. heartless corporate hogs.
There's never been any type of job security in this area. Unless you worked for a city, county, state or federal agency. And even some of those agencies are taking hits now. Like the postal service closing their processing facility soon so as to move 68 jobs to Sandston, Virginia. And the Virginia Department of Transportation laying off many locally. We haven't seen the worst this Depression has to offer yet. There's much more coming! Stay tuned!
Would people rather find out about the closing after the holidays, when the bills for spending are arriving, or before, so they might sort out their finances a bit better?
Business owner brings up a lot of good points. Hoolarious does not. If anyone out their thinks that the healthcare bills and increased taxes are not a major factor in the decisions being made by the business world then they live on another planet.
This should make all of those in Charlottesville who hate manufacturing jobs very happy. This is 106 people who won't be ruining our environment.
My parents met at that plant and I also worked there for awhile in the 70's. Back when they worked there a man could make a good living for his family working in one of Americas great factories. What will tomorrow bring?
"If anyone out their thinks that the healthcare bills and increased taxes are not a major factor in the decisions being made by the business world then they live on another planet."
This is the main problem with the hype. Many people do not have a clue where all the money will come from. Unemployment at 14 percent by next November. Count on it.
As for the "hating manufacturing" comment. You are so correct.
Have heard many local businesses are hurting and will probably close after the 1st of January. Lots of frustration, because when there is a big project that would hire locals, either at the university, or for local government the low bids are coming from places that pay there workers a fraction of the living wage that Charlottesville is so proud of, and now has priced them out of the market. Just heard from a friend that the millions that will be spent by the RWSA for the Meadowcreek Interceptor was way underbid by companies as far away as Texas and Minnesota, and that all the local companies were priced out of the market.
Thanks, Will, for hijacking this sad news for an opportunity to air your groundless grievance with the trumped-up straw men who "hate manufacturing," whoever those nonexistent people are.
There are tax consequesces that need to be considered for the calander year. The simplest one is W2s for 2010 if they stay past january 1. There are many other year end isses to be considered, like insurance policies etc etc. The only real issues to me is whether or not the employees had any indication this was coming.
It is easy to blame the big bad corporation, but with each plant closed we need to look deeper. Is the building worn out or outdated? Would upgrading have been too expensive because of the county zoning and building codes? Are the property taxes too high? Are the business taxes too high? What about the cost of workers comp and liability insurance in Va? Or unemployment costs?
Where are the jobs going? Why? Were the workers union? Were the wages in line with the work? Were they worried about the cost of Obamacare taxes on the Horizon?
This is called in depth journalism and there may just be a story here.
If only there were a local newspaper who could find the time.....