Alcoa shuttering Ferndale plant, leaving hundreds out of work

Approximately 700 workers at the Alcoa aluminum smelter plant in Ferndale, Wash., will soon be let go after the manufacturer announced they’re closing the factory due to the market slow down as result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The plant is in State Senator Doug Ericksen’s district, and he has vowed to fight on behalf of the workers.

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“The key thing is we only have seven operating aluminum smelters in the United States. And to put that into perspective, China currently has 140 aluminum smelters. What’s going on is even though the economy is slowing down, they’re still producing, they’re dumping products, and they’re depressing the price worldwide,” Ericksen told the Jason Rantz Show.

This story brings to light the ongoing discussion about manufacturers relying less on China and more on growing here in the United States.

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“What the coronavirus really has exposed in America is this dependency we have on foreign governments, on foreign countries, how we really allowed ourselves to become vulnerable by exporting or manufacturing jobs overseas,” Ericksen said. “And so here you have a critical primary metal that’s needed for aerospace, that’s need for defense, and we’re going to be relying on China for that product unless we keep these manufacturing plants going.”

Realistically, when we’re talking about Alcoa, what can be done if the market remains how it is now?

“There’s a mechanism we can put in place through the Department of Defense, through the federal government, through critical times like this — not on an ongoing permanent basis, we don’t want to nationalize these industries — but in a critical situation like this for the DOD to perhaps purchase some of the metal and stockpile it for future use, to be able to put in place a program through the federal government on a loan basis, to be able to allow these facilities access to some capital to do some upgrades and expansions on the current facilities,” he said.

“I think if we’re going to save this plant, it’s really got to be the federal government, the White House, and President Trump saying this is a critical industry and we have to step up and save it here in America.”

Listen to the Jason Rantz Show weekday afternoons from 3 – 6 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (or HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here.

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