Charleroi Pyrex plant closing temporarily blocked

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the closing of the Pyrex-making glassware plant in Charleroi, which the company intends to shutter in February, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.

If it goes through, operations would move to Ohio and eliminate some 270 jobs in the Mon Valley.

Centre Lane Partners, a private equity partner with owner Anchor Hocking Holdings Inc., is temporarily prohibited from making any material changes to the Pyrex plant in Charleroi that would adversely impact the normal operations of the facility.

U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Renjan in Pittsburgh ordered on Oct. 31 a stop on removing any Pyrex equipment and assets and moving to combine Pyrex and Anchor Hocking.

Renjan scheduled a hearing Nov. 12 in federal court in Pittsburgh on the matter. His order will expire two days later.

The judge said that the temporary restraining order he issued is narrower than the AG had requested.

Anchor Hocking has announced plans to close its Charleroi production plant and move equipment to the company’s manufacturing plant in Lancaster, Ohio.

Anchor Hocking’s Corelle Brands had notified the state Department of Labor and Industry that it would begin phased layoffs with 170 jobs eliminated on Dec. 9, and would continue the layoffs until the shutdown was complete in early February.

The state Attorney General’s Office argued that the plant would be irreparably harmed if Anchor Hocking removed and hauled away equipment.

Removing the equipment would interrupt operations, leading to more employees either losing their jobs or being forced to look for other stable employment, which would harm Charleroi because of the loss of an important employer, the state AG’s office said.

“The closure of this longtime manufacturing hub will have permanent impact on the Charleroi community and surrounding neighborhoods, which depend on the plant for employment that is vital to the local economy and prosperity of families living there,” state Attorney General Michelle Henry said.

Workers at the plant had held a rally in September to protest the pending plant closure.

Centre Lane Partners had acquired the Anchor Hocking Pyrex plant in November 2023 after a bankruptcy court in Texas approved Instant Brands’ sale of the plant.

James Watt, staff representative for the United Steelworkers that represents the production and maintenance workers at the Pyrex plant, said Monday he looks forward to the wheels of justice turning.

Watt, who expects to testify at the hearing, said the temporary restraining order gives workers some hope for the plant’s future.

A spokesman for Centre Lane could not be reached for comment Monday.