Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Electrical problem shuts down Celanese in Narrows
The latest from The Ticker blog
An electrical outage Sunday forced Celanese Corp.'s acetate products plant in Narrows to shut down.
Dallas-based Celanese is working to correct the electrical outage and determine the cause, spokesman Travis Jacobsen said. The company has not yet determined if a weekend snowstorm caused the outage.
Celanese does not know how long the Giles County plant will be closed, but Jacobsen said the company intends to reopen it. The plant, which makes material used in cigarette filters, employs about 600 people.
"All of our employees have been notified of their work schedules," Jacobsen said. They "will be kept informed of the plant's operational status," he said.
-- Jenny Kincaid Boone
Botetourt County workers eligible for program
Workers affected by plans to close the Johnson Controls plant in Botetourt County are now eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance through the U.S. Department of Labor.
The Milwaukee-based company announced in August that it would close its plant by May, eliminating 44 jobs. Earlier in 2009, the company had laid off nine workers.
Workers at the plant built mechanical systems for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Johnson Controls workers will be contacted by Virginia Employment Commission officials with instructions on how to apply for benefits and services. For more information online, go to www.doleta.gov.
-- The Roanoke Times
