Federal judge says closure of Charleroi glass plant can proceed
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A federal judge has ruled that the closure of the Anchor Hocking plant in Charleroi that makes cookware like Pyrex can close as planned.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General Office had filed for a preliminary injunction and asked a judge to stop the closure, saying that the company was violating antitrust laws.
The judge ruled Thursday that there's not enough evidence to support the claim that the merger of Anchor Hocking and Pyrex is violating those laws.
"While the Court is sympathetic to employees whose jobs might be at risk and a long-time local facility that may cease production, in the specific context of this case, the Court must narrowly consider the requirements of federal antitrust law and determine whether they have been met," said Judge U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan in the court's written opinion. "They have not."
In September, Anchor Hocking announced plans to close the plant and move its operations to Ohio.
The announcement of the closure sent shockwaves through the community as the plant has been a fixture of the Charleroi area for nearly a century.
Last month, Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notices were sent to workers at the plant, telling one-third of that workforce that by December their services would no longer be required.
Workers previously rallied to save the glass plant and called on company leadership to sit down with them and work this out.