WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |Nearly 100 laid off at Plaquemine plant

Nearly 100 laid off at Plaquemine plant

By Robb Hays - email

PLAQUEMINE, LA (WAFB) - Nearly 100 contract maintenance workers were laid off from the Georgia Gulf plant in Plaquemine Thursday.

The workers were employed by Turner Industries but were assigned to maintenance positions at Georgia Gulf, located on River Road in Plaquemine. Georgia Gulf spokeswoman Ashley Mendoza could not give an exact number but said the number of laid off employees was between "75 and 100."

Georgia Gulf manufactures vinyl that goes into products like vinyl windows, siding, and other building and construction products. "As the housing market continues to deteroriate, demand for our products has decreased," Mendoza said. "One of the steps that we took today was to streamline the maintenance costs at our Plaquemine facility. We had a reduction in our maintenance force. Our maintenance force is manned by Turner Industries."

A spokesperson for Turner Industries said Turner would make every effort to assign the affected employees to jobs at other facilities if openings are available elsewhere. The spokeswoman said she did not know the exact number of employees who were affected.

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