Cryovac to Close Plant, Cut 186 Jobs

The plant closings and mass layoff notices just keep on piling up. Here is the Democrat and Chronicle with the latest:

A maker of food packaging products plans to shut down its Gates plant over the next year.

According to paperwork filed Friday with the New York Department of Labor, the Cryovac Inc. plant at 1525 Brooks Ave. employs 186.

Cryovac is part of New Jersey-based Sealed Air Corp. In a statement Friday, Sealed Air said it plans to move the work done at the Gates plant to its other North American facilities. “This transition will occur gradually through 2012 and part of 2013,” according to Sealed Air.

Cryovac, which is based in South Carolina, makes vacuum shrink bags and materials, tray lid packaging and other types of plastic skins for food processors and food manufacturers, as well as for consumers.

So what was the official explanation?
Sealed Air said Friday that the Gates plant closing “was an extremely difficult decision ... to make, understanding the impact to our employees and the Rochester community. The company considered a number of criteria — including operating costs, strategic location, proximity to other facilities and levels of technology — and it was determined we can best serve our global manufacturing strategy from other locations.”

Globalizaton strikes again. But the employees at Cryovac are not the only ones feeling the pain:

Aurichio said Sealed Air also notified employees in the Schenectady suburb of Scotia this week that their plant will close in the next 90 to 120 days as part of the streamlining effort.

The Schenectady County protective packaging plant employs 70 and workers there “will have the opportunity to apply for jobs in Louisville and Holyoke, Mass.,” Aurichio said. “Employees in Rochester can apply for jobs at our facilities in South Carolina, Arkansas and Iowa Park, Texas.”

Wow--that's might big of them to say the laid off workers can APPLY for jobs at the other plants over 1,000 miles from home. What do you suppose the chances are that there would even be any openings for them?


Bonus: "This one's for the workers who toil night and day"