TOWN AND COUNTRY, Mo. — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has alleged that Town and Country-based Energizer Holdings Inc. has plans to shut down two manufacturing plants in Wisconsin that employ nearly 600.
The union said Thursday in a news release that Energizer, which manufactures batteries and car care products, told workers that it plans to close battery plants in the cities of Fennimore and Portage over the next 12 to 24 months.
Energizer has not publicly disclosed plans to shut down the facilities. It didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. An Energizer spokesperson told NBC15 in Madison, Wisconsin, on Thursday that the firm “is in communications with our colleagues and their union representatives about the future” of the two plants.
The possible closure of the two Wisconsin plants comes as Energizer said in November it has initiated a plan to restructure costs aimed at saving $60 million to $80 million a year. Dubbed "project momentum," the strategy will impact the company's manufacturing, distribution and global supply chain networks, and enhance "our organizational efficiency" across its two business segments, auto care and battery and lights,
The Teamsters, which represents the workers at the Wisconsin plant, said union representatives and employees there have been told Energizer plans to move jobs offshore and to a facility in North Carolina that the Teamsters said is nonunion.
"Some workers have been in these factories for more than 40 years. The American public should be outraged by these plans. Our entire union is furious. If Energizer thinks it's going to outsource American jobs and destroy Wisconsin communities, we've got news for them — the Teamsters are coming and we will stop at nothing to protect American workers,” Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien said in a statement.
Click here to read the full story from the St. Louis Business Journal.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.
