News keeps getting worse at A.O. Smith

On the heels of losing Carrier, I think Warren County will eventually lose another of its major employers in A.O. Smith. I say that after the company said last week that it plans to eliminate 90 local jobs and bring its workforce down to about 190 by the end of this year.

When I talked to A.O. Smith spokesman Mark Petraca on Thursday, he said the upcoming layoffs are all part of the workforce reduction plan announced by the company about two years ago. But that’s not entirely accurate.

A.O. Smith officials have always told me they intended to keep the workforce around 250. Now I’m suddenly hearing 190 and the denials about closing the plant aren’t nearly as adamant as they once were.

Instead of the usual company line that closing the plant is not a consideration, I heard a different tune. Now I’m told that if the plant should close, employees would be given a long notice beforehand.

I think it’s time we look ourselves in the face and come to grips with the fact A.O. Smith is likely on its way out of town. There’s no other way to explain why a workforce would go from 925 to 190 in four years.