DEWITT -- For years New Process Gear has been scaling back and shedding jobs, and now the DeWitt plant plans to layoff the last 406 production employees this summer.
According to the New York State Department of Labor, the layoffs are scheduled for between August 20 and September 2. The layoffs will impact 406 salaried, union and non-union employees. The company says after these layoffs, only maintenance and management staff will be left at the plant to handle the final closure.
"They can't find jobs like that around here," said Lee Lynch who worked at New Process Gear for 31 years before retiring in 2008. "We were the last ones to go, Carrier and Syracuse China, we were the last ones to hold out."
"These people have no place to go," said Mark Schnobrich who has friends who worked at the plant. "They were making good money now what are they going to do?"
In 2009, the owner of New Process Gear, Magna Powertrain, announced that the plant would begin winding down to close. This came after union voters rejected a new contract with New Process Gear.
At it's peak, the DeWitt plant employed more than 4,000 workers.
In response to our request for a comment, a spokesperson for Magna International of America Inc. would only say, "I can confirm. It is part of the closure plan for the facility."
