Specifically, Alcoa has informed Vigo of its plan to close a 269,000-million-ton-per-year aluminum smelter facility in March. As a result, Vigo issued Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act letters to 66 workers on January 19.
Most of the jobs to be lost are pit operators (33), followed by nine positions in the preparation plant. Others impacted include mechanics, lube technicians, pit supervisors, the maintenance supervisor, the plant supervisors and the safety supervisor. The company’s engineering and administrative department will lose three staff members.
The miner said it expects the furloughs to be permanent. The workers are not represented by a union.
Combined, the two mines produced a little more than 2 million tons last year.
