Libbey meets with USW, grants concessions for employees losing jobs

Libbey Glass management Wednesday agreed to 'early out' retirement packages for qualified employees, following a meeting with the union committee from the Shreveport plant and United Steelworkers Rep. J. David Broussard.

The meeting was scheduled to decide the fate of around 200 employees who will lose their jobs at the Shreveport facility in May.  Though the company overall showed a marked increase in revenue, beer mugs made in the Shreveport plant failed to make money. The company is sending the press and the blower used to produce the mugs to Mexico, Broussard said.

Last week, Broussard met with company officials about the proposed layoffs and said he was asked to make a proposal that would save the company $7 million per year in order to save the jobs that will be lost. Not authorized to make such a proposal, Broussard instead gave the company a proposal asking for two weeks pay for each year of employment, six months of health care and an "early out" option for people nearing retirement.

After negotiations took place Wednesday, the company agreed to offer 'early out' severance pay equal to 500 hours to employees who were at least 60 years old and had been with Libbey for a minimum of 30 years. There are 23 employees eligible for that package, Broussard said.

Though Libbey officials rejected severance pay for other employees losing their jobs, they did agree to put 100 of them on a 'call list,' meaning when a job comes open at the plant they will be called before the job is advertised. Broussard said there are 70 employees from last summer's layoffs already on that list. He added that the company pays for 100 percent of health insurance on the 'call list.'  

  
The actual number of layoffs will be for 160 to 175 hourly workers and 30 salaried workers. There are currently 525 hourly workers and 108 salaried workers at the plant.