(BEDFORD) – Bedford Mayor Sam Craig, the Lawrence County Economic Growth Council, and Work One are preparing to assist Manchester Tank employees.
“We are looking at this time to see what we can do to assist the employees of Manchester Tank. This is very sad news, and we as a community will support these employees in whatever way possible,” said Bedford Mayor Sam Craig.
Shance Sizemore of Lawrence County Growth Council says they will be looking at ways to assist the employees at Manchester Tank.
“We want to issue heartfelt condolences to those who are going to go through this transition,” Sizemore added. “We offer our support to the employees and families; this will be a big transition. We do not know all the information at this point. We do know they are closing. There is still a lot of things that are undecided or a lot that we are not aware of at this point, based on what Manchester is going to do.
” We can rally as a community, to support those families. We will start those conversations with Manchester to see what they are doing and bring in our state partners Work One, and the City of Bedford to provide assistance. Work One provides training assistance, relocation assistance, and reach out to our partners to see who is hiring.” Sizemore added.
The tentative schedule for closure of the plant is June 30th. Manchester tank will provide assistance to the employees in transitioning from the company. The Employee Assistance Program is available for employees by calling 1-800-925-5327.
WorkOne has a Rapid Response – a pro-active, business-focused, and flexible strategy designed to respond to layoffs and plant closings by quickly coordinating services and providing immediate aid to companies and their affected workers. Rapid Response Teams will work with employee representatives to quickly maximize public and private resources to minimize disruptions associated with job loss.
On Monday employees were notified the plant will be closing by June 30th.
WBIW has talked to some employees who do not at this time want to publicly comment on the closing.
One employee who has worked at the plant for more than 29 years is concerned.
“This uncertainty has caused a lot of stress, and questions of what are we going to do next,” they added. “Especially in an uncertain job market in the area, with few options to support a family, and age causing concerns over being hired at other companies.”
