Gum Springs Plant Lays Off Workers
By: Import User
Updated: January 7, 2009
The Alcoa plant at Gum Springs announced it
is laying off workers.
This marks the second time this year the plant is cutting down
on employees. Plant officials say they don`t know yet how many jobs
will be lost.
Plant manager Judy McQueen says the layoffs come after Alcan, a
supplier of potliner material, decided to quit sending the stuff to
the plant for treatment and disposal. Alcan is handling its
potliner -- a byproduct of making aluminum -- internally.
She says the departure cut the plant`s business by a third, so
it has to cut back staff.
In January, the plant cut 14 jobs in a company restructuring
plan. The Gum Springs plant currently employs 74 with an annual
payroll of seven million dollars.
The plant is one of six in Arkansas. In recent months, the
company announced it would sell four of the Arkansas plants --
Bauxite, Magnolia, Russellville and Springdale.
