Aluminum plant in SE Ohio will lay off about 1,000

HANNIBAL, Ohio -- Aluminum maker Ormet Corp. has notified workers that it intends to eliminate nearly all jobs at a plant in southeast Ohio this fall. Ormet Vice President of Human Resources Lisa Riedel sent the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification late Monday to union workers, the Monroe County commissioners and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The notice says "curtailment of operations" will mean the loss of 833 hourly and 149 salaried positions. Company spokeswoman Linda King confirms the notices were sent. She declines further comment. United Steelworkers Local No. 5724 President Loren Hartshorn declined comment. The plant in Hannibal, just across the Ohio River from West Virginia, employs about 1,000 workers and produces about 266,000 metric tons of aluminum each year.