Construction material wholesaler closing Fife facility, laying off 54 employees

Construction material wholesaler Norwesco is closing its facility in Fife, effectively laying off more than 50 employees.

All of the facility’s 54 employees, including 43 workers who are members of and represented by Local 66, Sheet Metal Workers, will be laid off, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification.

“This layoff will be permanent,” the notice stated. “The location, in its entirety, will be permanently closed.”

The facility’s lease is expiring, and Norwesco will be transferring work from the facility to other sites.

Bumping rights, the right to avoid termination by displacing another employee, for union-represented workers will be governed by the applicable collective bargaining agreement between Norwesco and the union, according to the notice.

The company mainly employed production workers, but also leads, maintenance technicians, a manufacturing engineer, a supply chain coordinator, a warehouse associate, a warehouse supervisor, an assistant lead, a buyer, a customer service representative, a materials manager, and a production supervisor.

Fife plant only GBA facility in the Pacific Northwest region

Norwesco was part of the Gibraltar Building Accessories (GBA) Division, a network of manufacturers with facilities spread across the United States, including locations in Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Florida, Utah, and California. However, Norwesco’s Fife plant was the only GBA facility in the Pacific Northwest region, serving as the division’s manufacturing hub for the West Coast and British Columbia.

Norwesco sells products for all things roof-related, including arched vinyl corner beads, flashings, conductor heads, horizontal siding, soffits, steel framing, stucco and plaster, tile accessories, and ventilation.

The layoffs will take effect on Oct. 16.

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