Federal judge says closure of Charleroi glass plant can proceed
CHARLEROI, Pa. (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 Office of Attorney General 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."
According to Charleroi borough manager Joe Manning, this appears to be the end of the line for the glassworks.
"We were sort of buoyed in our spirits by the temporary injunction that came down and we thought there was going to be a light at the end of the tunnel there," Manning said.
In a statement, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General said the ruling is disappointing, but they will continue to litigate.
"I think at this point we've exhausted everything we can," Manning said. "We're grateful to the attorney general, for the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, for everything they have done."
In all, about 300 jobs are expected to be lost.
"Anything to keep them here. Keep them in the Mon Valley. Keep them here in Charleroi. That would be our hope," Manning said.
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.
According to Manning, the borough continues to have conversations with other companies to see if someone will move in, whether it be an energy, steel or another glass company. They want to prevent the site from becoming a brownfield.
"We would rather not see it sit idle for months on end and then try to restart everything. We would like to be able to go in, do a site assessment and find out what needs are there," Manning said.
The borough hopes to get a site assessment done in the next 30 to 60 days. They want to expedite any efforts to keep families in the Washington County borough.