More than three dozen workers will lose their jobs when Graham Packaging Co. closes a Michigan plant later this year.
Shuttering the Holland, Mich., location will cost 33 hourly and nine salaried employees their jobs, but the company said those workers will have a chance to apply for open positions at other company locations.
“The expected date of the plant closure is October 23 … but is subject to change based on customer demand and operational issues,” the company said in a letter to the state of Michigan.
While the final production date is expected then, the plastic bottle and jar maker said, “some lines will begin to shut down in September. We will begin to lay off employees in September, and we will lay off the majority of the remainder of plant employees around the date of final production.”
Graham has 70 blow molding facilities in North America and more than $2 billion in annual sales in the region according to Plastics News data.
Because the facility employed fewer than 50 workers, the company was not required to provide notice under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, but Graham said it voluntarily alerted state labor officials of the move.
WARN requires a 60-day notice for workers impacted by mass layoffs.
The letter indicates layoffs will start no earlier than Sept. 6.
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