A large employer in Etowah announced they will be laying off hundreds of employees. Waupaca Foundry will still be up and running, but cutting down on their operations.
A spokesperson for the company says the permanent layoffs will be effective on June 17. They are stopping melting, molding, and core room production operations, and continuing processing operations with a much smaller staff.
Waupaca Foundry came to McMinn County in the early 2000s. Just before Mayor John Gentry took office in 2002. It's been an anchor in the county for two decades now.
"A big win for McMinn County. One of the top foundries of automotive components in North America, maybe the largest,” Gentry told Local 3 News.
Waupaca Foundry is the leading supplier of cast and machine iron components for automotive, off-highway, commercial vehicle, and other industrial markets. They have a handful of other locations in the United States, headquartered in Wisconsin.
The company sent out a letter letting 540 employees at the Etowah location know they will be without a job in mid-June.
"It's not just the 540. We know the 540 represents 540 families,” Gentry said.
The company has about 650 employees. They will continue certain operations with the staff that survived the layoffs.
This isn't the first time the company has had to make a decision like this.
"About 10 years ago at this plant when the recession turned, and they came back, so that's our hope,” Gentry told Local 3 News.
Back then, they shut the plant down all together, so Mayor Gentry has hope they will come back at full capacity again. He doesn't think that will happen until the national and global economy get back on track.
"Supply chain issues are squared away, inflation is under control, and labor shortages work themselves through the system, we hope to see Waupaca back and strong,” Gentry said.
In the meantime, the county is working with those impacted to find employment. At some point, they plan to hold a job fair for them.
The company is offering those who are being let go employment at other Waupaca facilities in the country. A spokesperson told us employees wishing to stay with Waupaca will be offered up to a $15,000 relocation bonus. Those wishing to stay at the plant can apply for the remaining jobs in Etowah.
