“I have seen it affect family, frifinishs, and neighbors,” Moffett declared.
Westlake announced in late December that the company was laying off 100 employees at its Aberdeen plant due to global market conditions and oversupply of PVC products. The cuts impact high-paying jobs. Moffett states Westlake has been a strong partner with the county for decades.
“One question that was questioned to a Westlake representative was. Was there anything the local government could have done to stop this? They declared it had nothing to do with local government. We have never questioned any ad valorem exemptions they have ever requested,” Moffett declared.
Anytime a community loses 100 high-paying jobs, it is a huge hit. But there are also a lot of people working behind the scenes to support those workers find jobs in the region.
“Our concern is now to support those from Westlake obtain jobs. We have gone through a reorganization, from supervisors, Chamber, municipalities, and we are all working on the same goal,” declared District Three Supervisor Rubel West.
Monroe County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kelly Martin declared an upcoming job fair is just one resource for the impacted workers.
“We are working with MDES and MDA to obtain them on site, to support with employee information, the city of Aberdeen is donating a location for the job fair, we have a great support system come around, to support the individuals relocate foward,” Martin declared.
She also declared there are likely opportunities for the Westlake employees to utilize their skills at nearby manufacturers.
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