The owners of a Charleroi glass plant that makes cookware have delayed its scheduled closing for about two months until April 30, which is a move that impacts about 240 workers, according to a notice the company filed with the state.
Corelle Brands LLC is moving its production from the former Corning glass plant in Charleroi to Lancaster, Ohio.
It notified the state Department of Labor and Industry that its decision to delay the closing from Feb. 17 to April 30 is the result of what it refers to as the company’s operational needs through the transition of the plant closing, according to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining notification it filed.
Even with the extension on the closing date, Brandon Eichorn, Corelle Brands legal operations director, stated that customer demands may require some employees remain on the job beyond the anticipated layoff date.
The first layoffs are scheduled to begin around Jan. 27, rather than before Christmas as originally planned, and continue through April 16.
The first round of layoffs will affect about 140 employees, with another 45 on Feb. 8.
By the time the last layoffs occur, the plant is expected to have about 25 workers, according to the schedule sent to the state.
The production of glassware will cease on Feb. 14, said James Watt, a United Steelworkers staff representative for the union members at the Corelle plant, which makes Pyrex cookware. He characterized it as the company’s Valentine’s Day present to the remaining workers.
Most of the last workers at the plant will be involved in shipping remaining inventory and maintenance of the facility, Watt said.
Eichorn said in the letter that workers at the Charleroi plant have been notified of the opportunity to work in Lancaster, Ohio, with the benefit of some relocation assistance.
Heather Roberts, president of USW Local 53(G), which represents union workers at the plant, could not be reached for comment.
When Corelle announced its plans last fall, state, local and federal officials fought to keep the plant open in Charleroi, the Mon Valley town’s largest employers with about 270 workers.
The state Attorney General attempted to block the plant closing on the grounds that the private equity firm Centre Lane, which bought the Charleroi plant in March 2024, would control more than 90% of the glass cookware market, as the Lancaster plant had made Pyrex. A federal judge in Pittsburgh judge ruled there was not sufficient evidence to prove that the combination of the plants violated federal antitrust laws.
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