Rail Foundry Orders More Layoffs

Amsted Rail in Granite City, IL, has given notice of a significant cut in employment to be put into effect by February 16. Chicago-based Amisted filed the notice in December with the Illinois Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity that will be laying off 363 workers in the coming month.

The Granite City plant was formerly operated as American Steel Foundries, and recently as ASD-Keystone. It produces steel castings for freight car and automotive manufacturing.

Chicago-based Amisted had already eliminated 130 positions at Granite City in November. However, it also acquired a new operation in December. Amisted paid $6 million for the AirBoss Railway Products plant in Kansas City, which produces railway track fasteners.

Matt Jones, the assistant director of the Madison County (IL) Employment & Training Dept. estimated that the new round of layoffs will have reduced total employment by about half. He speculated that Amsted Rail will attribute the new layoffs to general economic decline.