American Standard boosts jobs in Salem

SALEM - American Standard Brands employees were given good and bad news during a meeting on Friday, according to Rick Hands, president of United Steelworkers Local 1538.

The manufacturing plant, located at 605 S. Ellsworth Ave., will receive additional work this summer that could bring back about sixty of the 132 workers now on layoff status.

The bad news is that because of that, "there will most likely be additional layoffs before the new work can be set up and put into operation," Hands said, adding that currently there are 141 working union employees. He said those layoffs won't affect many employees.

"The news caught us a little off guard," he said, "as the product lines coming to the facility are presently being outsourced and we were not expecting that to change."

The new work includes more enameled steel tubs and sinks.

Hands said the new work "could raise the total working to around the 200 level."

Setting up for the new work is expected to begin in June and be completed by the end of summer.

"We are happy to have survived the economic downturn as many other American Standard Brands facilities have closed throughout the United States and Canada," Hands said.

Sun Capital purchased a controlling interest in the

company from Bain Capital in November of 2007. The company manufactures of a wide range of high-quality kitchen and bath products, including faucets, fixtures, furniture, vitreous china fixtures, cast iron sinks, whirlpool tubs and other related products.

Larry Shields can be reached at lshields@salemnews.net