With 274 trona workers facing January layoffs, WE Soda union opposes company’s pending $13M state grant

The union representing workers at WE Soda’s trona and soda ash operations in southwest Wyoming, as well as some of their supporters, are calling on Gov. Mark Gordon to pump the brakes on a $13 million state taxpayer-funded grant request by the company. The company says it will cut 350 jobs at its Westvaco operations over the next two years, beginning in January with 274 workers receiving pink slips, according to a notice WE Soda sent to state and local government officials. How to comment To comment on the WE Soda and other grant recommendations, send an email to the Wyoming Energy Authority at [email protected]. Click here to review the projects and to learn more about the Energy Dominance Fund. The deadline to submit a comment is Monday. “I’m asking the State of Wyoming to FREEZE these funds until Wyoming Workers are assured they have a place to work at WE Soda!” Marshal Cummings, a WE Soda worker and United Steelworkers Local 13214 president, wrote in a recent social media post.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.