> And so it begins - Massive Layoffs Hit One of Top U.S. Aluminum Plants, Halting Operations

One of the U.S.'s top aluminum manufacturing plants has made massive cutbacks to its workforce, putting a halt to all operations for at least nine months, the company said on Wednesday.

Citing an "unprecedented rise in global energy prices," Century Aluminum in Kentucky announced they will be laying off 628 Hawesville Smelter employees starting August 5. In fact, mass layoffs are happening nationwide as fears of an economic downturn continue to escalate.

Century wrote in a letter to employees obtained by the Owensboro Times, which read:

"Unfortunately, an unprecedented rise in global energy prices arising from the Russian war in Ukraine has dramatically increased the price of energy in the U.S. and around the globe.

"The cost required to run our Hawesville, KY, facility has more than tripled the historical average in a very short period. Given these circumstances it is necessary to fully curtail operations for a period of approximately nine to twelve months at Hawesville until energy prices return to more normalized levels."

It added that in order to pause their operations for such a lengthy period, the layoff of the 628 Hawesville Smelter employees would need to take place.

The 628 employees also include 504 employees represented by the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial Service Workers Union, and the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations, the letter stated.
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