AMSTERDAM (From news reports) -- An Amsterdam-based printing company is cutting 88 jobs in Queensbury and an Atlanta-based packaging company is cutting 57 jobs in Amsterdam, state regulatory notices indicate.
Both workforce reductions will be the result of plant closures.
In its Workforce Adjustment and Retraining Notice filed with the state Department of Labor, Amsterdam Printing & Litho said on or about Sept. 13 it will cut the entire workforce at its shop at 428 Corinth Road in Queensbury, where it performs graphic design services. The cuts could put at risk a large financial incentive package the state promised to the company.
Meanwhile, WestRock CP said in its WARN notice that within a 14-day period starting Sept. 10 it would cut the entire workforce at its 28 Park Drive plant in Amsterdam, where it manufactures corrugated packaging.
In their paperwork, both companies cited economic reasons for their decisions.
Neither returned requests for comment for this story.
Amsterdam Printing & Litho was founded in 1898 by the Singer family. Since 1996, it has been owned by the Taylor Corporation, which is based in Minnesota and has more than 80 other subsidiaries. Taylor calls itself one of the largest privately held companies in the United States and one of the top three graphics communications companies in North America.
State economic development officials announced in 2015 that they would provide more that $4 million in assistance to Amsterdam Printing & Litho as it committed to remain in the Mohawk Valley, make $10 million worth of investments in its Amsterdam facility over the next 10 years and expand its workforce by 8 percent.
The assistance consisted of a $2.5 million capital grant from Empire State Development conditional on retention of its 469 jobs in New York through 2024; $750,000 in Excelsior Jobs Program Tax Credits, also from ESD, conditional upon the company creating 39 new jobs; low-cost electricity from the New York Power Authority through the ReCharge NY Program; and a $900,000 grant from New York State Homes and Community Renewal.
Where the $10 million investment in the Amsterdam plant and where the 39-person workforce expansion stands could not be determined Tuesday.
In its most recent statewide job creation report, ESD listed Amsterdam Printing as "in compliance" because its workforce had risen from 469 to 479 in 2017. The 2018 report has not been released.
Late Tuesday, ESD said:
"We are disappointed that Amsterdam Printing and Litho is closing its Queensbury plant and are hopeful that many of these workers can be incorporated into the company's existing facility in Amsterdam. We continue to work with our partners in the Capital Region and across the state to develop opportunities that create jobs and grow our economy."
WestRock is a Fortune 500 company. As of Sept. 30, 2018, it had about 45,000 employees at 300 locations on five continents, according to its annual financial disclosure. For the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, it recorded $1.9 billion in net profit on $16.3 billion in sales. WestRock indicated that the employees at the plant it is planning to close in Amsterdam are represented by Amalgamated Lithographers of America, Local 259.
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