Employees fear glass plant may close

Date: 28 November 2005
Source: Sapulpadailyherald.com

Date: 28 November 2005

The Bartlett-Collins Glass plant may be halting operations in December, and some employees say the shutdown could be permanent.Speaking on condition of anonymity, one plant employee said the company was shutting down production for the winter months and could even close permanently.

"At this time, the company does not have an official statement," said Carroll Cottrill, consumer affairs manager for Lancaster Colony, Bartlett-Collins' parent company. "Business is slow and the inventory is built up and high."

Another unnamed source said the plant was expected to close Dec. 17, however not all employees would be laid off. Furnace maintenance will likely keep some employees on the payroll.

Bartlett-Collins has a history of closing temporarily every few years to retool the glass furnace, but another industry insider said the shutdown was linked to the high cost of natural gas.

The plant's furnace and environmental heating systems run on natural gas.

The Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce reported that the glass plant employees 500 workers.

Cottrill said the cost of natural gas has not affected the plant any differently than it has the average household.

Bartlett-Collins is a division of Indiana Glass, which is owned by Lancaster Colony Corporation of Columbus, Ohio.
600450 Employees fear glass plant may close glassonweb.com

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