Northern Engraving plans layoffs at Galesville plant

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Feb 09, 2001 | by Cahalan, Steve

Northern Engraving Corp. plans to indefinitely lay off about 130 employees at its Galesville, Wis., plant in April, according to a notice it filed this week with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.

That figure includes 116 union members and 14 employees who are not represented by the union.

Last month, sister company Northern Automotive Systems LLC laid off about 100 employees at its plant at 2325 Enterprise Ave. in La Crosse. Northern Automotive notified the state agency of its intentions in November.

Officials at the companies' headquarters in Sparta, Wis., did not return phone calls from the Tribune on Wednesday or Thursday.

Employees expected to be laid off in Galesville received a letter this week notifying them of the company's plans. The company's form letter did not give a reason for the layoffs.

A union bargaining agent told employees in a meeting Monday the 116 union members to be indefinitely laid off include people who have been temporarily laid off in the past few months, a Northern Engraving worker said Thursday. The bargaining agent said the layoffs are occurring because the economy is softening, said the employee, who asked not to be named.

"There's going to be 116 (union members) who are going to be hurting," the employee said.

"It's obviously going to have an effect on the city of Galesville" economy, Mayor Terry Collins said of the layoffs. "It's unfortunate." Collins said the plant is one of the city's largest employers, and he believes it has more than 200 employees.

The company notified the city of its plans in a letter this week, but the letter did not give a reason for the layoffs, Collins said. He said the layoffs are at least in part due to the national slowdown in the automobile industry.

The Galesville plant makes decals for such products as automobiles, boats, motorcycles and kitchen appliances.

Union officials were not available for comment late Thursday afternoon.