Teamsters are fighting the closure of 2 Energizer manufacturing plants

Energizer may be closing two production facilities in Portage and Fennimore. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters issued a statement claiming that Energizer plans to offshore some of the jobs and send additional jobs to a nonunion facility in North Carolina in the next 12 to 24 months. Teamsters Local 695 represents about 600 workers between the two manufacturing plants, and the organization plans to fight Energizer’s decision.

In a recent quote, Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said, “Energizer is putting a plan in motion to kill hundreds of good jobs here in America and offshore them in favor of even bigger profits. Some workers have been in these factories for more than 40 years. The American public should be outraged by these plans. Our entire union is furious. If Energizer thinks it’s going to outsource American jobs and destroy Wisconsin communities, we’ve got news for them — the Teamsters are coming and we will stop at nothing to protect American workers.”

According to WMTV NBC15, Energizer Corporate Communications Representative Jennifer Maxfield responded  by saying, “Energizer Holdings is in communications with our colleagues and their union representatives about the future of our Fennimore and Portage facilities in Wisconsin. We will continue to focus on our colleagues – the people closest to this issue and who matter the most – as we work toward a final resolution.”