Another Hudson Valley, NY Manufacturing Plant Closing; 81 Layoffs

Another 81 New York workers will be laid off this Fall when a Hudson Valley manufacturing plant is officially acquired by another company and moves out of state.

It's a news story that seems all too familiar in the Hudson Valley. Since February, hundreds of Hudson Valley factory workers have been laid off in a series of announcements about the mergers, closings or downsizing of businesses operating in New York State.

Urnex relocated its Hudson Valley plant in February, eliminating 84 jobs. Those workers were later joined by 100 more who were laid off by Zena Delivery & Logistics in New Windsor. In March, a dozen employees were laid off in Middletown and Hugenot by Elementis SRL due to the consolidation of the company. Middletown also lost 54 jobs from Wineshipping.com and 88 more from Frito-Lay just over the last month.

More Hudson Valley, New York Layoffs Announced

It was just announced that 81 employees at two sites in Warwick, New York will be laid off by the end of September. Trans Tech Bus, makers of school buses and student transportation, was recently purchased by Forest River Bus. Trans Tech has been the leader in "Type-A' bus manufacturing and groundbreaking electric bus technology. The company signed an agreement at the end of June to be acquired by Forest River, which also makes school buses, vans and shuttles.

According to paperwork filed with the State of New York, 77 workers at the Trans Tech plant on Lake Station Road and another four at the company's office on State School House Road will be laid off by September 25.

In a press release, Forest River announced that manufacturing would continue in Warwick until the end of August, and then move operations to the company's facilities in Indiana. It's not clear if any workers in New York have been given the opportunity to relocate out of state to keep their jobs, but incentives were handed out to keep many of them on hand through August to help with the "knowledge transfer necessary to ensure a seamless transition in manufacturing process."