Glass making plant has been a keystone of Charleroi, PA for 132 years
Sudden announcement to close glass manufacturing facility would lay off hundreds of workers, hurt families’ livelihoods that have depended on glass making for generations
Casey: “Your sudden announcement to close the plant will upend the lives of Pennsylvania workers who have contributed to your company’s success. [...] They deserve better than to be tossed aside by a company that has tossed aside their rights, their value, and seems unable to prosper in a growing market.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) slammed Anchor Hocking CEO Mark Eichhorn regarding the company’s recent announcement to abruptly close the glass manufacturing plant in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. Closing the factory would not only cost 300 Pennsylvanians their jobs but would change the fabric of this community and put an end to one of Pennsylvania’s most impressive manufacturing success stories. Senator Casey implored Anchor Hocking to reconsider the decision and reaffirmed his commitment to Pennsylvania industry and workers, particularly in the Mon Valley.
“The jobs at this plant have provided family-sustaining livelihoods for the tens of thousands of proud workers who have shaped it into the local legacy it is today. Your sudden announcement to close the plant will upend the lives of Pennsylvania workers who have contributed to your company’s success,” wrote Senator Casey. “The Charleroi community and the hardworking employees of this historic facility have given your companies their very best, for your benefit, too. They deserve better than to be tossed aside by a company that has disrespected their rights, their value, and seems unable to prosper in a growing market. As their Senator, I will always fight for Pennsylvania jobs and workers.”
For generations, Mon Valley residents have depended on and have been proud to work in glass manufacturing in Charleroi—a town named after the former European glass making capital, Charleroi, Belgium. Senator Casey pressed Anchor Hocking to reconsider the decision to close the glass manufacturing plant in Charleroi, citing its historical importance to the region and the harm closing the plant would cause to hundreds of Pennsylvania families who have depended on glass making for generations. Casey highlighted that closing the plant is puzzling, given that the glassmaking market is not in crisis, and disrespectful to the employees who have dedicated their careers to making glass in Charleroi.
Full text of the letter is below and the signed PDF can be found HERE.
Dear Mr. Eichhorn:
I write with great dismay at the news of your intention to close your Charleroi manufacturing facility and to layoff the approximately 300 hardworking Pennsylvanians at this plant. Glass making has a proud legacy in Charleroi, and this plant has been a staple of the community for over 132 years, long before the current private equity ownership acquired it. The jobs at this plant have provided family-sustaining livelihoods for the tens of thousands of proud workers who have shaped it into the local legacy it is today. Your sudden announcement to close the plant will upend the lives of Pennsylvania workers who have contributed to your company’s success.
On the front page of Anchor Hocking’s website, you proudly proclaim that “[s]upporting American jobs is a source of great pride for us, and it’s important to our customers too. They appreciate our dedication to the workforce here at home.”1 While I applaud the sentiment, I question the sincerity of such a statement given your recent decisions in Charleroi. The Mon Valley is one of America’s quintessential manufacturing communities and glass manufacturing is not merely an occupation in Charleroi, it’s a way of life. For generations, the residents of Charleroi and around the area have been proud to go to work in a place named after Charleroi, Belgium—a former glass-making capital of Europe—in a factory that has served as the backbone of this community since 1892.2 Shutting down this factory will not only cost over 300 hardworking Americans their jobs in Charleroi, it will close a chapter on one of Pennsylvania’s most impressive manufacturing success stories since the industrial revolution.
This decision is all the more puzzling given that the glassware market is not in crisis. Private sector analysts predict that this market will continue to grow over the coming years.3 With this context, it is difficult to understand why it would be necessary to close the plant now. I implore you to reconsider the decision to close this facility and, at the very least, to explore options to sell this facility to a willing buyer. I also understand that your workers, represented by the United Steelworkers, have issued a demand to bargain and would welcome the chance to work for different owner.
Please provide answers to the following questions before October 1, 2024:
- In June 2023, I understand that Instant Brands—a company that owned a portfolio of consumer brands, such as Instant, Pyrex, and Corelle—filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy.4 In October 2023, the court approved the sale of both Instant Brands’ housewares and appliances businesses to Centre Lane Partners, a private equity firm which also owns Anchor Hocking.5 While Centre Lane Partners was ultimately able to acquire Instant Brands’ appliance division in November 2023,6 it failed to receive the necessary regulatory approval to also purchase its housewares division.7 Ultimately, Instant Brands and its housewares division, including Pyrex, emerged from chapter 11 under the new moniker, Corelle Brands, in February 2024.8 However, just one month after Corelle Brands (f/k/a Instant Brands) emerged from bankruptcy, public reports indicate the Anchor Hocking took over Charleroi’s Pyrex plant in March 2024.9
Centre Lane Partners was previously unable to receive the regulatory approval to acquire Instant Brands’ housewares division, including Pyrex. Yet Anchor Hocking, a Centre Lane Partners business, was able to take over the Charleroi Pyrex plant. Please explain the events that led to and the process by which Anchor Hocking came to operate and ultimately decide to close the Charleroi Pyrex plant, including a specific timeline and any regulatory approvals that were necessary before assuming control of the plant. Additionally, please clarify the ownership structure of the Charleroi Pyrex plant and its workforce.
- Given the healthy state of the glassware industry, what financial factors are leading you to close this facility?
- Have you considered selling this facility rather than dismantling it?
- Has your company or any Centre Lane affiliates altered the formula or process for manufacturing Pyrex glass products? If the formula or process has been altered or will be altered in the future, how will this change be communicated to consumers?
- If Anchor Hocking moves forward with its plans to close this plant and lay off over 300 Pennsylvania workers, please explain how you intend to cooperate with the United States Department of Labor and Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry to assure employees have unrestrained access to any services that can be made available for them and their families?
The Charleroi community and the hardworking employees of this historic facility have given you their very best. They deserve better than to be tossed aside by a company that has disrespected their rights, their value, and seems unable to prosper in a growing market. As their Senator, I will always fight for Pennsylvania jobs and workers.
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