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EAST LIVERPOOL -- For employees of Hall China, the coronavirus has delivered yet another blow as the former Homer Laughlin China Co. recently announced layoffs.
Mayor Greg Bricker recently received a Worker Adjustment Notification Act notice through an e-mail and in a delivery through the post office from Ralph Smith, who is the director of human resources for the Fiesta Tableware Co.
"Unfortunately as you are aware with the downturn of our china business, the COVID-19 impact to all businesses nationally and the sale of our china business, we are forced to issue the WARN Act notice," he wrote.
An exact date hasn't been established, but Smith predicted it would be this month.
"It is likely that more than one-third of our employees will be affected by this action," Smith said, before explaining that "our company (is) unable to give a full 60-day notice" due to complying with the buyer's wishes as not to interfere with the sale.
"The buyer did not want us to announce any closure for fear of a major loss of business and because of the inability to decide (how many) people it would retain."
The move comes more than a month after Homer Laughlin China sold Hall China and the rest of its dinnerware line (except Fiesta) to New Castle, Pa.-based Steelite International.
Steelite recently announced its new private equity sponsor is Arbor Investment, but said it will continue to operate out of its Western Pennsylvania office.
Homer Laughlin China had purchased Hall China, which employs 100, in 2010.
According to the WARN Act of 1988, companies that employ more than 100 people are required to provide 60 calendar days advance notification of plant closures and mass layoffs to the employees' union, local chief elected official (in this case, Bricker) and the state dislocated worker unit.
Smith explained that the company awaits the go-ahead from the governors of Ohio and West Virginia on when production can begin again, as closure or the retail and restaurant clients have impacted sales.