AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT ENERGIZER HOLDINGS - RAYOVAC (02/26/23)

FEBRUARY 26, 2023 — PLANT CLOSINGS IN PORTAGE, WISCONSIN, AND FENNIMORE, WISCONSIN

Energizer’s ‘Shutdown Plan’ will reportedly result in the phased closures of both Portage and Fennimore battery manufacturing facilities and impact approximately 600 employees. According to union representatives, the company plans to offshore American manufacturing jobs and send others to a nonunion facility in North Carolina.

According to a company spokesperson, “Energizer Holdings recently met with representatives from Local 695 and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters regarding our intent to conduct a phased closing of our Portage and Fennimore facilities in Wisconsin. We have no plans to close additional facilities. As we work toward a final resolution in Wisconsin, we will continue to focus on our colleagues – the people closest to this issue and who matter most.”

APRIL 14, 2020 — Original post…

Saint Louis, Missouri-based Energizer Holdings, one of the world's largest manufacturers of batteries and associated branded equipment has announced that the company is permanently closing its Rayovac packaging and distribution center in Dixon,Illinois. The layoff commencing in May 2020 will imact 125 employees.

The decision appears to be based on the consolidation of the company's distribution operations as the site was acquired in 2018 when Spectrum Brands Holdings (Rayovac)made a deal to sell its batteries and appliance division to Energizer for $2 billion.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

LAYOFFS: NO LOVE AT NORTHWESTERN INDUSTRIES

Seattle, Washington-based Northwestern Industries, a glass fabricator specializing in specialty and architectural glass products and owned by Tokyo, Japan-based Central Glass, has sold the company and the new owner, Southgate, California-based Glasswerks, plans to shutter the Seattle, Washington plant in February 2020 and and transition operations to the company’s Yuma, Arizona facility.

The sale and move will impact 133 workers who have been offered the opportunity to relocate 1,400 miles South to Yuma. The decision to sell was driven by a global slowdown in construction and less projected demand for architectural glass products in 2020. The tipping point was the value of the plant’s 7-acres of Seattle real estate which is valued at approximately $30 million and which is not included in the sale. And, of course, the labor rate in Yuma, Arizona is significantly lower than in Seattle.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

LAYOFFS: NO LOVE AT MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY

Chandler, Arizona-based Microchip Technology, a manufacturer of microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog and Flash-IP chips, has announced that the company is laying off up to 275 employees at its Colorado Springs, Colorado facility. The layoffs scheduled for the first quarter of 2020. The exact number of employees impacted will be affected by voluntary resignations and transfers.

According to a company spokesperson, the products produced at the facility “have experienced some long-term decline and many of the products produced at the facility will be transferred to the company’s other facilities in Arizona and Oregon. These transfers will transform this facility into a specialty or boutique fab focusing on manufacturing automotive, military and aerospace products. This transformation provides a long-term runway for the facility to be successful for years to come. ”

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?