Lower demand forces temporary shutdown at Lexington GE plants

By Scott Sloan - ssloan@herald-leader.com

Production is shut down this week at General Electric's lamp and glass plants in Lexington, as the company copes with lower demand.

Workers at the glass plant also will be off next week, said Tony Colucci, human resources manager.

Under their contract, the hourly workers, represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1627, will receive 75 percent of their wages between unemployment and partial pay from GE, Colucci said.

"I must emphasize they're temporary only," Colucci said of the shutdowns. "No one is being laid off."

The company has had shutdowns multiple times this year, he said, to cope with lower demand for the incandescent bulbs produced at the glass plant and the automotive and specialty products made at the lamp plant.

The move affects about 125 workers at each plant, though some maintenance workers are kept on to help with special projects, he said.

The Herald-Leader allows readers to comment on stories. The views expressed here are not those of the Herald-Leader or its staff. Readers must avoid personal attacks and libelous or inappropriate remarks. See our commenting policy here. Some comments may be reprinted in the newspaper. Registered user names are posted with comments.