Costello, Durbin urge Olin to keep jobs in East Alton

Wednesday, August 25, 2010 By: Will Buss

Two Illinois lawmakers have penned a letter to persuade Olin Corp.'s top brass to keep approximately 1,000 jobs in Madison County.

In their letter, addressed to Olin Chief Executive Officer Joseph Rupp, lawmakers Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said, "We urge you to reconsider Olin Corp.'s plans to move the Winchester Ammunition Division's Centerfire operations out of Illinois and request an opportunity to discuss with you the future of the East Alton operations.

"We have worked hard over the years to help Winchester win critical government contracts. ... That is why the preliminary decision to close the facilities came as a surprise to us and local stakeholders, many of whom have been working with or for the company for decades," the lawmakers said.

Olin recently announced that it was considering a move that will relocate 1,000 manufacturing jobs from its Centerfire Division in East Alton to a plant in Oxford, Miss. The Clayton, Mo.-based company has not disclosed its reasons for the possible move.

Valerie Peters, Olin Corp.'s director of human resources in East Alton, would not disclose reasons for the possible move and said no decision has been made.

"We continue to evaluate the best location for the Centerfire operations," Peters said. "We are talking to key stakeholders like the union leaders and gathering relevant information."

The federal lawmakers also mentioned their disappointment over the company's decision in 2004 to relocate 150 jobs from its Rimfire Division. They said moving 1,000 jobs out of East Alton at a time of 10 percent unemployment in Madison County would have a terrible impact on the metro-east.

According to Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois, 1,821 people are currently employed at the East Alton plant, making it the sixth-largest employer in the metro-east.