Fort Wayne Foundry Corp. plans to lay off 52 workers May 31 at its Machining Division plant on Conestoga Drive, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development reported Wednesday. The company also officially notified the state it planned to close its foundry on Lima Road May 31, costing 174 workers their jobs, said Marc Lotter, spokesman for the department. The union representing production workers at the foundry reported the planned closure March 2.
Lotter said the notices from Fort Wayne Foundry were dated March 2, but his office only received them Wednesday. However, he said, the notices still comply with the requirements of the federal Worker Adjustment Notification and Retraining Act. Fort Wayne Foundry is owned by Fort Wayne-based Cole Pattern & Engineering Inc. Company officials didn’t answer calls Wednesday afternoon.
Fort Wayne Foundry depends heavily on General Motors Corp. for its business. Car and truck sales have plummeted in recent months and GM has been cutting production – and workers – as it races toward a March 31 deadline to show the federal government that it’s viable.
