Closed smelter Malaysia-bound; 300 jobs lost in Stevens County

AP ^ | 12/11/02 | AP

[ambrose]

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/99348_smelter11.shtml

Closed smelter Malaysia-bound; 300 jobs lost in Stevens County

Wednesday, December 11, 2002

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ADDY -- A closed magnesium smelter that used to be this Stevens County town's largest employer will be dismantled and moved to Malaysia.

The tentative $21 million deal ends any hope that Alcoa Inc. might reopen the plant and rehire some of the 300 workers who were laid off last year.

Ozzie Wilkinson, a manager overseeing about 25 employees at the closed smelter, said the sale includes the furnaces, buildings and other noticeable assets.

Left would be building foundations and the leveled site where another industry could be located. Wilkinson said mine reclamation will leave the site looking as natural as possible.

Alcoa is backfilling the mine, leveling the area and will plant native grasses, shrubs and trees.

The buyer, Mount Grace Resources Ltd., paid a $200,000 option fee to Alcoa for the smelter, and plans to borrow the rest to close the deal April 1.

Shipping the smelter overseas is a familiar story for workers in basic industries such as smelting and timber.

In Addy, a town of about 1,200, the smelter paid workers about $35,000 a year, among the best-paying jobs in Stevens County. Many former employees have moved or enrolled in retraining programs.

Even though the purchase, move and restart will cost Mount Grace about $150 million, the cheap labor, relaxed environmental regulations and significant government tax concessions from Malaysia are expected to make the move profitable.

Alcoa, the world's leading aluminum company, used the magnesium from Addy to supply its aluminum plants across North America. Built in the late 1970s, the smelter was a long shot to last the 20 years it did.

When Alcoa closed it late last year, the company predicted the outdated magnesium smelter would never reopen.

© 1998-2002 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

[ambrose]

ping

[Post Toasties]

Wouldn't you be much more effective if you limited yourself to layoffs and closings that affect at least 1,000 employees?

Your concentrating on the picayune stuff makes you appear to be either a nitpicker or unaware of the overall job market picture.

[gatex]

"...Your concentrating on the picayune stuff ...."

The chemical and metallurgical business does not employe huge numbers of employees --- they are capital and technological intensive -- not labor intensive.

These industries are hardly picayune.

[Post Toasties]

My comment was in reference only to the numbers that ambrose's posts typically deal with. Layoffs of such magnitude frequently occur even under optimal economic conditions.

[gatex]

"Layoffs of such magnitude frequently occur even under optimal economic conditions."

Not at chemical and metallurgical plants. --- only with plant closings --which is not a picayune deal.

[Higgymonster]

ambrose: You're lucky to have me around. We're a perfect match. With your ability to only find articles about jobs that are being lost, for whatever reason you may have, I'm here to help you out when I have time by going through and seeing if we can compensate for that minor weakness of yours. I hit the motherload this time. I went to the Seattle Post and found 5,500 jobs that are available right now. No room to list them all but here's the first 20 or so. Man, I hope this helps.

1 Supv-Tenant Support Program
Employer: Evergreen Healthcare
Location: Kirkland, WA
Posted: 12-11-2002
Requires a Bachelors degree in Social Work, Psychology, or other human service discipline and 3 years experience teaching and supporting adults with developmental disabilities.

2 Medical Assistant
Employer: NuWest Group, Inc.
Location: Seattle, WA
Posted: 12-06-2002
2-3yrs back office experience required. Phlebotomy & injection skills a must!

3 Clinical Nurse Specialist
Employer: Evergreen Healthcare
Location: Kirkland, WA
Posted: 12-11-2002
Masters in health care related field, with clinical focus in surgery preferred. Minimum two years experience in a clinical or leadership role in an inpatient care setting. Find Similar Jobs

4 Delivery Room Technician 92307 Temporary
Employer: Group Health Cooperative
Location: Seattle, WA
Posted: 12-11-2002
SUMMARY:* Surgical assist/scrub tech for scheduled and emergent OB surgeries. * Re-stock rooms. Set-up and clean-up for deliveries. * Ability to learn to assist with newborn care.* Coordinate paper flow and clerical duties for L&D... Read More


5 Technical Specialist II
Employer: Washington Mutual
Location: Seattle, WA
Posted: 12-10-2002
Washington Mutual Bank ranks as one of the top 10 largest banks, and one of the leading lenders in the U.S. Even more exceptional, is the fact that we've created a friendly, progressive work environment built on respect for each p... Read More


6 Technical Specialist-Sr
Employer: Washington Mutual
Location: Seattle, WA
Posted: 12-10-2002
Washington Mutual Bank ranks as one of the top 10 largest banks, and one of the leading lenders in the U.S. Even more exceptional, is the fact that we've created a friendly, progressive work environment built on respect for each p... Read More


7 Loan Coord IV-Sr-HLC-200
Employer: Washington Mutual
Location: Bellevue, WA
Posted: 12-10-2002
Washington Mutual Bank ranks as one of the top 10 largest banks, and one of the leading lenders in the U.S. Even more exceptional, is the fact that we've created a friendly, progressive work environment built on respect for each p... Read More

8 SLEEP TECHNICIAN
Employer: Stevens Hospital
Location: Edmonds, WA
Posted: 12-10-2002
PERFORM POLYSOMNOGRAPHIC TESTING AND ANALYSIS AND ASSOCIATED INTERVENTIONS. Preferred:6 MNONTHS TO ONE YEAR EXPERIENCE AS A SLEEP TECHNICIAN. Additional Info

9 STAFF RN
Employer: Stevens Hospital
Location: Edmonds, WA
Posted: 12-10-2002
REQUIRES WA STATE RN LICENSE AND ACLS Preferred:PREVIOUS ICU OR ER EXPERIENCE. CEN, TNCC Additional Info:EXCELLENT BENEFIT PACKAGE. FREE PARKING. ELIGIBLE FOR RELOCATION ASSISTANCE AND TN VISA SPONSORSHIP

10 RN - NC
Employer: Evergreen Healthcare
Location: Kirkland, WA
Posted: 12-11-2002
PACU: WA RN license and Healthcare Provider CPR at date of hire.

11 RECEPTIONIST
Employer: Business Careers
Location: Puget Sound, WA
Posted: 12-10-2002
RECEPTIONIST SOUTHENDJoin growing accounting office & manage front desk operations. Greet clients, direct calls & input tax returns. Do mail merging of letters, send out invoices, & keep things running smoothly. Excellent potentia... Read More


12 Environmental Services Technician
Employer: Providence Everett Medical Center
Location: Everett, WA
Posted: 12-09-2002
Everett, WA. Providence Everett Medical Center, Department: Environmental Services, On-call (0.0) Varies 8 hr shifts. Requirements: Prior housekeeping/custodial exp. pref'd. Ability to learn to safely use cleaning chemcials and ot... Read More

13 STAFF RN
Employer: Stevens Hospital
Location: Edmonds, WA
Posted: 12-10-2002
REQUIRES WA STATE RN LICENSE AND BLS Preferred:PREVIOUS MED/SURG EXPERIENCE Additional Info:EXCELLENT BENEFIT PACKAGE. FREE PARKING. ELIGIBLE FOR RELOCATION ASSISTANCE AND TN VISA SPONSORSHIP

14 Admitting Counselor
Employer: Evergreen Healthcare
Location: Kirkland, WA
Posted: 12-11-2002
HS Diploma, working knowledge of medical terminology, type 45 WPM. Excellent people and customer service skills. Computer and data entry skills, understanding of medical insurance.

15 Supv-Grounds
Employer: Evergreen Healthcare
Location: Kirkland, WA
Posted: 12-11-2002
Degree in Pacific NW horticulture preferred, WA DOA pesticide license required. Five years experience in management of horticulture, pest and disease, irrigation, landscape design and construction.

16 BUILDING MATERIALS SALES
Employer: Business Careers
Location: Puget Sound, WA
Posted: 12-10-2002
BUILDING MATERIALS SALES Put your knowledge of lumber & building materials to work in this fast paced environment. Assist outside reps to service contractor accounts. Excellent benefits package included. To $30k 1st yr. For more i... Read More

17 RN
Employer: Providence Everett Medical Center
Location: Everett, WA
Posted: 12-09-2002
Everett, WA. Providence Everett Medical Center, Colby Campus. Department: Med/Tele 5A Part-time (0.6). Days (8 hour shifts). Requirements: Must be licensed RN in WA State. Union: USNU Salary Range: Resident: $19.50 / Min. $20.25 /... Read More

18 Unit Supervisor IV Therapy
Employer: Providence Everett Medical Center
Location: Everett, WA
Posted: 12-09-2002
Everett, WA. Providence Everett Medical Center Colby Campus Department: IV Therapy. Full-time (1.0), Days 8 hour Shifts. Requirements: Completion of a recognized program to obtain an RN license in the State of WA. Recent experienc... Read More

19 CSR
Employer: Business Careers
Location: Puget Sound, WA
Posted: 12-10-2002
CSR LITE COLLECTIONSLocal manufacturer has new position for that outgoing team player who loves to interact with clients & problem solve. Are you big on building relationships & research? Your detail & follow thru will help with y... Read More

20 MEDICAL FRONT DESK
Employer: Business Careers
Location: Puget Sound, WA
Posted: 12-10-2002
MEDICAL FRONT DESK Well established Seattle Chiropractic office needs your enthusiasm to meet & greet patients, handle co-pays & heavy scheduling. Start at $27k, benefits, career growth & fun work environment.For more information,... Read More

[Post Toasties]

I agree with you wrt chemistry and metallurgy. However, that doesn't relate to what I posted. The numbers that ambrose posts are usually almost vanishingly small and usually not related to specialty industries when compared to the normal ebb and flow of employment, so what's his point?

[gatex]

"...so what's his point?..."

Don't know what his point is, but my point is that it is not picayune but significant that industrial plants are closing and taking jobs, skills and technology to other countries.

[Post Toasties]

Ok. The industries are significant in some cases, but the numbers are still picayune. So, we're both right.

[gatex]

Sounds good to me.

[Willie Green]

However, that doesn't relate to what I posted

Actually, what you and Higgymonster posted has no relationship to the article that ambrose posted.
It's pretty pathetic, really, that so-called "conservatives" are so lacking in business acumen that you are totally incapable of commenting intelligently on the article topic. It's absolutely hilarious that you have to resort to childish harrassment of ambrose instead.

And to think that the GOP is supposed to be the party that's associated with business. LOL! Well, maybe your not true conservatives anyway. RINOs at best, or perhaps simply adolescent libertarians.

[Willie Green]

The industries are significant in some cases, but the numbers are still picayune.

Actually, both the industry and the numbers are quite significant in this case. The magnesium produced in this plant would've largely gone to supply the aerospace industry around Seattle: that's Boeing, with all it's layoffs and transfer of production to China. Boeing shifts production, and the impact ripples through the supply chain.

It really is quite damaging when something like this occurs. There may be other, smaller industries that are totally unrelated to aerospace in the region, yet they are interdependent on the same network of suppliers for whom aerospace was the primary customer. But with aerospace drasticly cutting back, the infrastructure can no longer support the smaller industries alone.

There are other issues this story could be related to as well, such as the California Power fiasco. Smelting aluminum/magnesium is very energy intensive, and most companies had long-term contracts signed for inexpensive hydroelectricity that's produced in the Pacific Northwest. However, in the glory days of Enron, many also found it more profitable to simply shut down production and sell their rights to the "cheap" electricity because Kalifornia screwed up their own supply.

[Post Toasties]

I could more justifiably claim that you just harassed me. How about explaining what this is supposed to be all about, and keeping the acrimony, false assumptions and bogus accusations to yourself for a change?

[Post Toasties]

Crosspost. I see WG more or less did so in #13.

[Post Toasties]

If you see a solution for the problem, as you perceive it, are you willing to share? Ambrose pretty much refuses to comment.

[Post Toasties]

My impression is that spamming these articles without some explanation doesn't really accomplish much except to damp enthusiasm and interest generally.

[Willie Green]

The only practical solution that has any chance of stemming the collapse of our industrial infrastructure that will eventually jeopardize our national security is to instititute a broad, across the board, flat rate tariff on ALL imports. Such a tariff need not be excessively high, perhaps 10~20%, and the revenues could be used to offset a corresponding reduction in the corporate income tax. Such an approach would go a long way towards "leveling the playing field" and get us back to using more of our own natural resources.

Excessively high "targeted tariffs", such as Bush implemented for steel don't work. They are chock-full of exemptions and loopholes, and still wind up hurting other industries while providing excessive protection for others. It is much simpler, and more "fair", to utilize the broad revenue tariff at the lower rate, and combine it with an equally broad corporate income tax reduction.

[Post Toasties]

Thanks for the info. How would this work for American firms with foreign subsidiaries?

[Willie Green]

If the product is imported across our border, it gets taxed same as if it were produced by a foreign owned company.
The only difference is that the American company experiences a reduction in it's corporate income tax, regardless where it's products are produced. The intent is to "level the playing field" and stabilize our domestic industrial infrastructure. Not penalize American business.