Boeing announces layoffs at two Fayette County facilities
More than 100 workers facing termination at three Pa. locations
File photo
Boeing announced plans this week to lay off more than 100 workers at three facilities in Pennsylvania, including at two locations in Fayette County.
The company issued the announcement Tuesday through the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act in which it said the layoffs would be occurring at its plant at the Fayette Business Park near Smithfield and a smaller location at 1386 Connellsville St. near Lemont Furnace.
In total, 101 workers will be laid off on Jan. 17, although the company declined to specify how many jobs would be lost at each location, which also includes a facility in Delaware County near Philadelphia. The WARN notice issued on the state Department of Labor & Industry’s website indicated that the facilities would not be closing.
“As previously announced, we are adjusting our workforce levels to align with our financial reality and a more focused set of priorities,” the company said in a written statement Wednesday. “We are committed to ensuring our employees have support during this challenging time.”
Most of the affected employees were notified of the layoff last week, and eligible workers will receive severance pay, temporary subsidized health care benefits and career transition services, the company said.
The cuts in Fayette County appear to be part of larger financial issues facing Boeing after the company announced Friday layoffs of 2,199 employees at facilities across the state of Washington, along with the termination of another 333 workers in South Carolina, Colorado and Oregon.
In 2010, Boeing acquired Argon ST, which mostly served as a contractor for the U.S. military, along with that company’s plant at the Fayette Business Park in Georges Township and the facility near Lemont Furnace.
The company expanded the plant in the Fayette Business Park several years ago, adding about 50 jobs to its operations there in 2018. The county’s redevelopment authority received a $1.5 million grant through the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program to help pay for the $4.2 million expansion there, with Boeing paying for the rest of the project.
Fayette County officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday to discuss what the impact of the layoffs might be on the region.