Employees: Charleroi glass factory to close

A glass factory that has been part of the fabric of the Mon Valley — and the Magic City — for nearly a century is expected to close by the end of the year.

It’s a devastating blow to the hundreds of employees who work at the Corelle Brands facility and for the economy in the Mon Valley that has struggled to recover for years since the closure of the steel mills in the 1980s.

Charleroi officials said Wednesday was a sad day for the borough when Anchor Hocking – the current maker of Corelle, Pyrex and CorningWare – announced the impending closure of its Charleroi plant.

Anchor Hocking CEO Mark Eichhorn informed more than 300 employees at the facility Wednesday it would close by the end of this year.

About 50% of jobs will be relocated to the company’s Lancaster, Ohio facility, but the future is unclear for the other half of employees who might not be able to relocate or will choose to leave their careers.

Employees — some who have been there for decades — were left devastated and looking for answers.

Daniele Byrne, vice president of Corelle Brands Charleroi division of United Steelworkers Local 53G, has worked at the plant for 35 years.

Employees at the Charleroi plant say they were told production will be shut down because officials do not want to keep two facilities open.

Quality Pasta Company, a facility near the plant, shut down last week in an unrelated closure that resulted in the loss of 100 jobs.

The company has gone through numerous changes in ownership over the years.

In 1936 Macbeth-Evans was purchased by Corning Glass Works and was renamed Corning Glass Works Macbeth-Evans Division, and later Corning Glass Works Charleroi Plant.

In 1998 the plant was sold to World Kitchen as part of the company’s divestiture of its Consumer Products division.

The company has been known for its production of many things, including Pyrex, the iconic heat-and-shatter-resistant glassware that has been a staple in American kitchens for generations.

Pyrex (trademarked as PYREX) is a brand introduced by Corning Inc. In 1998, Corning sold the Pyrex brand name to World Kitchen LLC. The company again switched hands to Instant Brands in recent years, who filed for bankruptcy last fall.

In October 2023, Instant Brands announced that following a comprehensive sale process and competitive auction, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas approved the company pursuing the sale of its housewares and appliance businesses to affiliates of Centre Lane Partners, one of Anchor Hocking’s largest stockholders, who officially took over the Charleroi plant in March.

In 2018, Corelle Brands received a $2.5 million grant from the Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program (RCAP) to modernize the world-renown Pyrex brand glassware manufacturing facility in Charleroi.

In November 2018, the facility in Charleroi received the Governor’s Award for Safety Excellence.

In February 2019, Corelle Brands announced a $16 million facility upgrade, supported by the previously announced grant. The upgrades were expected to help retain jobs and also modernize the facility.

It’s unclear what upgrades have been made in the past five years using that investment.

While the company has switched hands many times over the years, it was eventually bought out by Instant Brands, who entered into bankruptcy last fall.

Byrne said until recently, she was under the impression that operations would continue as normal despite another switch in ownership.

She said Eichhorn led employees to believe they would continue to produce Pyrex, and up until July, the plant was producing over 100%.

Two weeks ago, it had dropped to 69.8% production.

“We were cut down to three presses,” she said.

Meetings over the past few weeks continued to raise eyebrows until the news was made official Wednesday.

She said when the news broke, workers felt like there was nothing to be done.

“What can you do?” she said. “Basically nothing. He came here to tell us, their mind is set because to them they can’t afford to run two sites.”

She doesn’t understand what led to that decision, because according to Byrne, the facility is productive.

“We were making money,” she said. “We are making money, but for them it’s about durability and cost.”

Byrne said she would have entered her 35th year at the facility Sept. 15.

Thursday was emotional for her and so many others who have built their lives and careers there.

“It’s a family-oriented place,” she said. “It always has been. There are numerous couples who are married today because they met their partners there. People built their lives working inside of that plant, it goes on from generation to generation. We believed no matter what happened, we would keep working, but that obviously is not the case.”

While some jobs will be transferred, she isn’t sure how many employees will be able to uproot to make that move.

“The mighty dollar has proven to be most important,” she said. “But for us, this is 325 lives that are going to be affected one way or another. We’re all devastated. There are people without ties or family that might be able to move there, but I know it’s too late in the game for me and a lot of other people to consider going anywhere else.”

It’s not the first time jobs were cut, she added.

In March, 20 people were let go and others were forced to step up in order to keep production at maximum capacity and now, she is worried for the rest of the employees and the impact it will have on the borough.

“It’s not only devastating to us, but this entire town,” she said. “People who have been there a long time. Longer than me and I am in my 50s. How am I – are we – supposed to start over? This is all I have ever known and I know it’s the same for a lot of people. What about our retirement? There are just a lot of unanswered questions.”

But the process, for right now, will move ahead.

Byrnes said within the next two weeks one of the presses will be dismantled.

“I’m so emotional right now that I can’t take it because we have put out good ware, and this community is going to suffer. There is nothing in this Valley for us, and this is 300 good-paying union jobs. They are just going to go to Ohio,” she said.

Members of Local 53G will continue to make the well-known glassware through at least the end of this year while about 150 miles to the east, in Greencastle, Pa., members of Local 1024 process and manage online orders and distribution of the products.

Leaders in the borough said they were disheartened to hear the news.

Charleroi Councilman Larry Celaschi said talks have been happening with leadership for the past few days leading up to Wednesday’s announcement.

Members of human resources at Anchor Hocking did not return calls and emails from borough officials over the weekend. A call from the MVI also was not returned as of press time.

“Naturally, everything was taken with a grain of salt until it was brought fully to the surface,” Celaschi said.

After receiving word about meetings happening Wednesday morning, officials headed down to the plant to wait, where they were informed by Byrnes of the decision.

Celaschi said elected officials, including U.S. Congressman Guy Reschenthaler and state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, as well as state Rep. Bud Cook have all been contacted.

“We still have hope,” Celaschi said. “If this goes through, it will hurt a lot of people, and this borough. My grandfather was a glass blower there for 50 years, so this is personal for me. I know it’s personal for a lot of people.”

Councilman Jerry Jericho agreed.

“It will be very devastating if this happens,” Jericho said. “For our borough, and more importantly for our people. It will be devastating to us, but surely devastating to them.”

Charleroi Council President Kristin Hopkins-Calcek said it was a “sad day” for the borough.

“With so much of our history, our legacy and our identity tied to that plant that has been here for generations, our hearts are going out to the employees and the families who have dedicated their lives and careers there,” she said. “It’s a sad day in Charleroi.”

“The mighty dollar has proven to be most important. But, for us, this is 325 lives that are going to be affected one way or another. We’re all devastated. There are people without ties or family that might not be able to move there.”

DANIELE BYRNE

CORELLE BRANDS EMPLOYEE AND LOCAL 53G VICE PRESIDENT