MonoSol announces layoffs at La Porte plant
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Merrillville-based MonoSol is reducing workforce at one of its northwest Indiana production facilities. In a notice to the state, the company said it plans to lay off 45 workers in La Porte, citing a decrease in demand for its products.
MonoSol is a division of Tokyo-based Kuraray Group and makes biodegradable films used in a variety of products, including detergent pods, personal care and cosmetics, and laundry bags.
In its Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, notice filed with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, the company the first layoffs are expected to begin Sept. 25 or within 14 days after that date.
Workers at the plant are represented by the Teamsters Local 135, and MonoSol said they have bumping rights under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the company and the union.
MonoSol said the move is expected to be temporary, but the layoffs are anticipated to last about two years.
The notice of the layoffs come less than a year after MonoSol and the Teamsters reached an agreement following a month-long lockout at the plant, located at 1609 Genesis Drive in La Porte.
Workers were seeking increased pay after reportedly not receiving bonuses during the pandemic, and also had complained about forced overtime and an inability to call off sick or take time off to deal with family emergencies.
In addition to its Merrillville headquarters and La Porte plant, MonoSol also has production facilities in Portage and Lebanon in Indiana, as well as the United Kingdom, Japan and Poland.