The auto industry’s struggles have trickled down to another Southwest Virginia supplier tied to vehicle manufacturing. And a national layoff by a cable television and communications company will affect its Roanoke office.

Michigan-based Wolverine Advanced Materials, a subsidiary of EaglePicher Corp., announced this week it will lay off about 50 hourly workers and another five salaried employees at its Blacksburg operation. The layoffs are considered permanent.

Tina Kozak, a company spokeswoman, said the job cuts reflect the woes affecting automotive industries and dealers.

Job numbers before the layoffs were 205 hourly workers and more than 40 salaried employees in Blacksburg, she said. She said she did not have information yet about when the layoffs will take effect.

Tim Douthat, an officer for United Auto Workers Local 3151, said the layoffs were “not entirely a surprise” because Wolverine had recently posted a letter describing tough business conditions in the automobile industry.

He said he believes the company did what it could to avoid permanent layoffs.
“Jobs are down everywhere,” he said.

Wolverine, headquartered in Dearborn, Mich., supplies gasket materials to gasket manufacturers. The materials are used in varied sealing applications, including: engines, transmissions, power sports, hydraulics and refrigeration compressors for automotive and industrial manufacturers.

Two other auto industry suppliers with operations in the New River Valley, Acument Global Technologies and Intermet Corp., announced layoffs or potential layoffs this week.

EaglePicher Corp. is based in Inkster, Mich. It was formed in 2006 after EaglePicher Inc. and its United States subsidiaries completed restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Meanwhile, Cox Communications told employees in Roanoke that they will be part of a nationwide workforce reduction.

The Atlanta-based company has said it will reduce its workforce by 2 percent by the end of the year.

Some positions will be eliminated through voluntary retirement, while others will be through layoffs, said Mike Pedelty a Cox spokesman for the Roanoke area.

Cox employs about 23,000 people nationwide and 200 in Roanoke. It is a major provider of cable television, Internet and telephone services in the Roanoke Valley.

Pedelty would not say how many local employees will be laid off, but said the company is continuing to hire for "some key positions."

"We are a company that needed to evaluate its business to be poised to take advantage of future opportunities," Pedelty said regarding the reasons behind the layoffs.