TRURO, N.S. — Employees at the Tandus Carpets manufacturing facility in Truro were completely caught off guard when informed Tuesday afternoon that their work is being shifted to the United States, a union spokesperson says
"The news of the closure comes as a complete shock to us and to our members," Lana Payne, Atlantic Regional Director of Unifor said, in a news release. "We have members with as many as 46 years spent at this company. They and the community of Truro have demonstrated great loyalty to Tandus Carpets and are devastated the company is abandoning them, the plant and the community."
Approximately 200 workers are employed at the plant, which is to close July 16.
Payne said workers gathered for the company announcement and were given the news, followed by the distribution of a page-long internal memo that in summary explained the company had expanded operations in the U.S. and would be relocating the work at the Truro plant to Georgia, “a right-to-work state”.
"Tandus Carpets has been a part of Truro's economic base for 50 years and we were proud to have stable, good-paying jobs in our community," said Melissa Martell, President Local 4612 at Tandus Carpets. "This announcement has quite literally pulled the rug out from under us, but now we have to focus on supporting each other and ensuring our members get every penny they deserve."
During bargaining last fall, the company gave every indication of being committed to the plant, the release said. Unifor secured regular pay increases and other gains in the collective agreement.
A job posting even went up in the plant as early as Monday morning and the union said there have been new hires in the facility in the past couple of months.
The union has reached out to Tandus Carpets executives to arrange meetings to discuss their plans.
The company was formerly known as Crossley Carpets.
