In an unexpected turn of events that surprised and confused employees, the Anchor Hocking Glass plant in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, will continue operating for an additional three months. According to information shared by employee Daniele Byrne with WTAE, the decision to delay the closure arrived just as workers were preparing to bid farewell to their jobs this week.
The eleventh-hour reprieve came when the company's parent, Anchor Hocking, instructed the Charleroi facility to keep its doors open despite plans to halt production today. Byrne revealed that production at the company's Lancaster, Ohio, facility could not keep pace with orders, leading to the postponement. "We got extended in January because they couldn't keep up with the orders. They can't make the glass as well as we can," Byrne said, per WTAE, noting that they had managed to move only two of the facility's four presses to Ohio.
Meanwhile, United Steelworkers union representative James Watt, in a statement detailed by CBS News Pittsburgh, expressed a mix of relief and puzzlement among the members. "Some of them cleaned out their lockers yesterday, anticipating not reporting back to work again. So it was a very somber union meeting last night. But then there's now some elation due to the fact that folks will be working for some time longer," Watt explained. The plant's significance to the local economy is underscored by a 14 million dollar payroll and the 200 jobs it sustains.
Following the news are reports of an upbeat development for the plant workers. According to CBS News Pittsburgh, they have just signed an extension of their collective bargaining agreements, resulting in a 10 percent raise. As explained by Watt, the COO cited strong sales and market forces as a reason to continue operating the plant. He remains optimistic about the plant's future, "Hopefully they'll get another three months, and another three months," Watt said. "We'll be there as long as their skills are needed and that plant needs to run."
As for the town of Charleroi, Mayor Gregg Doerfler has experienced mixed feelings regarding the extension, according to a WTAE interview, reflecting on the impact the plant's closure would have on the community. He said, "It hurts the workers." In the interim, Byrne is hopeful that the additional time will lead to more favorable terms for the employees. "I hope that they come to terms and make us an offer, a better severance package, and give us some extra money for bailing them out again," she told Pittsburgh's Action News 4.
