MN Plant Closing As Production Moves To Iowa And Elsewhere, 62 Jobs Cut

FAIRMONT, MN — 3M plans to permanently close its manufacturing plant in Fairmont at the end of the year, eliminating about 62 jobs, according to a notice filed with the state.

Layoffs are expected to begin Dec. 18 and continue through Dec. 31, the facility's scheduled closure date, according to the federal WARN notice 3M sent to Minnesota's State Rapid Response Team.

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The Fairmont plant, which has operated since 1946, makes 3M's Dual Lock and Hook & Loop reclosable fasteners, and the company has told customers it expects production to shift to its facilities in Knoxville, Iowa, and Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Some of the affected workers are represented by United Steelworkers Local 142B Unit 11. According to the notice, bumping rights, which can allow employees with more seniority to move into other positions instead of being laid off, do not exist.

The cuts reach nearly every corner of the operation. Positions affected include coater operators, Hook & Loop utility workers, Dual Lock leads and testers, machine and production operators, slitters, material handlers, maintenance workers and engineers, quality engineers, janitorial staff, a logistics transportation coordinator, a stockroom administrator, a designer, an occupational health nurse, trainers, technicians, supervisors, a human resources supervisor, a production planning supervisor and the plant manager.

The WARN notice did not give a reason for the closure, but 3M told customers the move is part of an effort to optimize its global manufacturing operations.

Under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, most employers with 100 or more employees must give workers at least 60 days' notice before a plant closing or mass layoff.

Minnesota has its own requirements as well. Under state law, employers that must give WARN notice also have to provide the Department of Employment and Economic Development's dislocated worker unit with the names, addresses and occupations of the workers losing their jobs.

John Mohs, a senior specialist with the State Rapid Response Team, will lead the state's assessment of the closure. Workers with questions can contact the Minnesota Dislocated Worker Program at deed.dw@state.mn.us or 651-259-7537.