Nearly 200 employees at Henderson TIMET plant face layoffs

Titanium production company TIMET warned the state of mass layoffs at its Henderson factory due to a loss of business amid the coronavirus pandemic earlier this week.

Nearly 200 employees are facing layoffs as the company has marked an 80 percent decrease in sales and decided to idle its sponge plant indefinitely, according to a notice the company filed with the state this week. The layoffs were set to begin this week and be completed by Oct. 2.

A 60-day notice is required if a company with at least 100 full-time employees intends to lay off at least 50 people at a single site, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s website. In the notice, addressed by TIMET senior director of employee and labor relations Cindy Heatherington, the company said it was unable to provide advance notice due to the ever-changing impacts of the pandemic on company operations.

The notice complies with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which is meant to ensure employees have notice before significant layoffs so they have time to find work elsewhere.

Employers who do not comply with the WARN Act are liable to pay each affected employee an amount equal to back pay and benefits for the violation period, which can last up to 60 days, according to the department website.

“We are providing as much notice as is practicable under the circumstances and given the rapid pace at which this situation has developed,” the notice reads. “This mass layoff is expected to be indefinite.”

Some positions may be granted bumping rights, where a more senior employee who loses his or her job can replace a less senior employee, according to the notice.

Contact Amanda Bradford at abradford@reviewjournal.com. Follow @amandabrad_uc on Twitter.