By ERIC ANDERSON , Deputy business editor Last updated: 3:31 p.m., Monday, December 1, 2008
The factory, which produced everything from streetcar shells to locomotives for the Long Island Rail Road, said today it will shut down by April 3, putting 175 employees out of work.
"Due to the dramatic downturn in the global and national economies and a steep decline in orders, Super Steel Schenectady Inc. must close the Super Steel Schenectady facility," the company said in an announcement this afternoon.
More renaissance news! Just before this Ray was lecturing some gullible seniors on his failed Metrograft plans. But he might relocate the Y! 3 puff pieces in the People's Gazetto-on the Y which still hasn't committed.
Instead of wasting more taxpayer millions on flopped Downtown gin mills maybe its time for a new County Planner? Time to end this experiment in socialist planning. Pathetic. And no other industrial employment alternatives for these workers.
I do feel bad for the people that will be unemployed. The sad part is that their unemployment checks will not only be taxed per check, but also will be part of their yearly income when they file their taxes at the end of the year.
And the city/county better start cutting costs and their insane spending. There should be an instant cut in those fluff jobs likeKosiur's. Get rid of the city/county worker lobs that I see standing around when I have to frequent their services. Stop focusing on Proctors and the Y. They do not add JOBS to our tax base! And yes...replace Gillen! We need a new planner! The lastdecade has produced nothing but 'bars'!
If they powers that be don't start cutting back NOW, we are all in deep sh**!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
The city/county officials will never attract any decent businesses until they find a way to lower taxes like cutting out the patronage jobs as well as all the pork in their budget.
150,000-square-foot plant at Scotia-Glenville Industrial Park ... did they also have a Rotterdam facility?
Sorry, my mistake, I was thinking Schenectady Steel, which, ironically, is not in Schenectady, but in Rotterdam over here on Mariaville Road (Thompson Street at the tracks).
It's amazing how you can blame anything on the economy nowadays. I'm sure this had nothing to do with it, totally separate incident...
Super Steel Schenectady, facing racial bias suit, fires eight workersThe Business Review (Albany)
Eight employees of Super Steel Schenectady Inc. in Glenville, N.Y., were fired July 12, nearly three months after a group of black workers sued the locomotive manufacturer for $175 million in federal court claiming they were victims of racial discrimination.
Super Steel didn't specify the reasons for the terminations, but said in a news release: "This is a confidential personnel matter and we are prepared to defend any and all personnel actions taken. Super Steel Schenectady Inc. will not tolerate any employee conduct in violation of its policies against discrimination and harassment."
More than 200 people work at the plant.
Company officials won't publicly discuss the matter, according to a spokesman for Super Steel Products in Milwaukee, Wis., the parent company of Super Steel Schenectady.
Nine current and former black workers filed a lawsuit April 18 in U.S. District Court in Albany claiming the company condoned racial discrimination, insults and threats by white workers toward black workers.
One plaintiff, Vincent Safford, a 50-year-old native of Mississippi who was hired as a contract employee, said somebody drew a picture on his locker of a black man hanging from a rope. Another worker, Criss Murphy, a welder, found a stuffed monkey hanging from a noose and a racist message written inside the door of his locker.
Safford, Murphy and others said they faced racial epithets, slurs and taunts on the job, but management did nothing to stop it. At the time, a company spokesman issued a statement vehemently denying the allegations.
The lawsuit seeks $150 million in punitive damages and $25 million in compensatory damages.
Super Steel unit makes first delivery under $12M contract The Business Journal of Milwaukee
Super Steel Products Corp.'s New York division has delivered the first of 98 diesel-hybrid locomotives to RailPower Technologies Corp. of Montreal.
The contract, which runs through June 2007, is worth about $12 million to Super Steel Schenectady Inc., a rail products maker in Scotia, N.Y., said Super Steel Schenectady president Keith Trafton. He anticipates revenue of $30 million this year for the 235-employee division, including the RailPower contract.
RailPower is selling the locomotives for $750,000 each to Union Pacific Corp. for use on Texas railroad routes.
RailPower chose Milwaukee-based Super Steel Products to manufacture the RP Series Road Switcher locomotives on reconditioned locomotive frames. The cabs are manufactured at Super Steel's Milwaukee plant, 7900 W. Tower Ave., and shipped to Scotia, N.Y., for assembly. It takes five to six weeks to build one engine.
...nobody is listening to us. Gillien is a hero to the public. Great spin did that.
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
Heroes sure ain't what they used to be. Instead of fixing the rusted industrial base, like at ALCO, he wasted millions on gin mills which will never open.
The chickens have now come home to roost. Even Democrats are furious at Ray's complete failure at both County Planner and Metrograft "czar". We have Bob Farley calling for more millions of taxpayer money to be given to Super Steel, which is something Ray should have been mentoring. Companies are fleeing record County taxes and power bills. Parisi's Steakhouse closed Nov 1st, Super Steel is closing April 3rd and Proctor's can't sell half its tickets for Legally Blonde. In any other County in America, Ray would be long gone. Here he wins awards.
In any other County in America, Ray would be long gone. Here he wins awards.
That is because the dems know how to market their 'political products', along with the help of the gazette to publicize it! Simple!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Bend? Try ignore the obvious and puff up useless facts. Parisi's Steakhouse had been permanently shut for over a month and not a word in the Gazetto. Gazetto and Metrograft are both going down the toilet together. Don't think the sheeple haven't woken up yet. Let's see which politico wants to campaign on Metrograft in 2009.
And no Ray wouldn't just be fired, Ray would have never been hired because no other County in the Nation is stupid enough to rip off taxpayers on every purchase to help a chosen few.
Super Steel’s closure will have ripple effect Loss of 175 jobs to hurt workers, plant suppliers BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
The pending closure of the Super Steel Schenectady plant in April will represent the largest loss of jobs in Schenectady County in five years and will be felt through the Capital Region, local officials said. The parent company, Super Steel Products Corp. of Milwaukee, Wis., intends to lay off the entire work force of 175 employees in stages, beginning Jan. 31. It cited a steep decline in orders for the Glenville railroad car plant for the closure. Super Steel had to give the state Department of Labor 90 days’ notice by Monday of the pending layoffs. County Legislator Robert Farley, R-Glenville, said the company had to make the closure decision based on a worstcase scenario to avoid violating state law. Also, the company was bound by conditions of a state grant to keep a certain level of staff working at the plant until Jan. 1. Super Steel officials did not return phone calls for comment. The Glenville plant closure will hurt Albany Steel Inc., said company President Peter Hess. He said Super Steel was one of his best customers, accounting for more than $200,000 in annual sales. “They are a responsible and respectable customer and we hate to lose them,” Hess said. Albany Steel brings in steel and sells it like a lumber yard. It also cuts, bends and shapes steel pieces. Hess called the loss of Super Steel part of a continuing erosion of manufacturing in upstate New York. He does not plan on scaling back his operations or reducing his work force of 80 employees for now. “It is just another one of our good customers we’re losing in upstate New York,” he said. STS Steel in Schenectady built the Super Steel building in 1995 and has had little contact with the company since, said company President Jim Stori. His company constructs buildings and bridges. “Some of our guys have gone there and we have picked up a couple of their guys over the years,” Stori said, referring to welders and fabricators. The job outlook for Super Steel workers is not good, Stori said. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of their guys apply here, but it is a tough time. We are fairly busy right now, but the economy is not great.” Marie Guzzo, of American Metal Market, a daily newspaper tracking the metal industry, said the steel industry is in a severe downturn. It is laying off workers and reducing capacity in response to the financial problems of national automakers. Toby Kolstad, a railroad analyst, said he expects to see a cutback in refurbishing and rebuilding of rail cars, which Super Steel does, and in program maintenance. He added railroads are not in a freefall but they have seen decreases in volume and will likely suffer economically in coming years. On the positive side, Glenville Administrator Tony Germano said the town is confident Super Steel will continue to pay property taxes on the 175,000-square-foot plant in the Scotia-Glenville Industrial Park. Super Steel owns the building, which sits on 32 acres. The industrial park is owned by The Galesi Group. Company officials said they are evaluating options for the building and will try to sell or lease the building to another business. TAX STATUS The company retains a payment in lieu of taxes agreement with local municipalities. The PILOT agreement started in 1996 at 20 percent of the building’s assessed value of $3.7 million. It was locked in for five years at 20 percent, then increased to 25 percent for two years, then to 35 percent for two years, then to 40 percent for two years, then to 45 percent for two years, where it is currently. It then increases to 50 percent for two years and 60 percent for two years before hitting 100 percent. The building’s assessment increased to $5 million in 2007 when Glenville underwent a re-evaluation and it is assessed at $6.7 million for school tax purposes in 2008, said Scotia-Glenville school district spokesman Robert Hanlon. For its January 2008 bill, Super Steel Schenectady paid $19,000 to Schenectady County, $29,000 to Glenville and $55,000 to the Scotia-Glenville school district. This is based on 40 percent assessment on $5 million valuation. Ray Gillen, chairman of the Metroplex Development Authority, called the existing PILOT bizarre. The PILOT was set up by George Robertson, Gillen’s predecessor. Super Steel received two grants from the Empire State Economic Development Agency during its tenure in Schenectady County. The first was in 1995 for $400,000. Super Steel had to create 150 jobs by 2000. It met this goal, according to state officials. The company received the second grant in two parts: $250,000 in 2005 and $250,000 in 2007. Super Steel had to create 90 more jobs, bringing the total jobs there to 240 by Jan. 1, 2006, and it had to maintain this number until Jan. 1, 2009, as part of the grant conditions, said Empire State Economic Development Agency spokesman ....................................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....amp;EntityId=Ar00101
Wow....You'd think that Gillen would be this investigative with other projects, such as 'the big house'. Or perhaps the 'relocation' of Villa Italia. Ya know...the ones that HE is responsible for. Gillen should start looking around and see how many businesses have closed up, bankrupted and left this over taxed county/city of Schenectady.
But that's ok....Proctors is still here! 'choke choke'.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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More renaissance news! Just before this Ray was lecturing some gullible seniors on his failed Metrograft plans. But he might relocate the Y! 3 puff pieces in the People's Gazetto-on the Y which still hasn't committed.
