Workers At Sand Springs Steel Mill Get Layoff Notices

NewsOn6.com

SAND SPRINGS, OK -- Gerdau Ameristeel has notified its employees in Sand Springs it plans to idle its facility and layoff those employees in 60 days.  About 300 people will lose their jobs.

Under the Worker Adjustment & Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notifications were sent to workers in Sand Springs on Monday.

The WARN Act is a federal law which requires employers to give advance notification to workers when faced with layoffs.  

"The WARN notifications are intended to give our employees a 60-day notice and provide transition time to adjust to the prospective loss of employment, pursue other employment opportunities and seek assistance with training and other programs that will help them successfully compete in the job market", said Robert Bullard, Vice-President and General Manager of the Sand Springs mill.

7/26/2009 Related story: Union Members Trying To Save Their Sand Springs Steel Jobs

Last week, Gerdau Ameristeel announced that it may idle the Sand Springs mill for up to 24 months while it reviewed a proposal from the State of Oklahoma aimed at keeping steelmaking operations in the state.

According to Terry Sutter, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Gerdau Ameristeel all of the options under review would require the company to suspend production due to decreased demand, over capacity, and the amount of time it would take to implement mill upgrades.

Sutter noted that the company will continue to diligently work with the State of Oklahoma and City of Sand Springs to carefully analyze the proposal.

Sutter indicated that a final decision has not been made on whether or not to maintain operations in Sand Springs. 

Gerdau Ameristeel is the second largest mini-mill steel producer in North America.