AMHERST, Ohio — After the Nordson Corporation announced last month that it would be seeking to close manufacturing operations at its Amherst Industrial Coating Systems (ICS) facility, the union that represents the impacted workers has approved a $2.9 million severance package.
According to a release from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), 116 members of the Local 1802 (District 54) voted Thursday to ratify the package "that delivers payouts and benefits to ease the burden of the company’s (Nordson) decision."
The severance package includes:
- Up to an $85,000 payout based on years of service, in addition to production and stay bonuses of up to $3,000 each.
- Company-paid COBRA for four months
- Lifetime healthcare and medical benefits for retirees and long-tenured employees.
- Vacation and paid time off use and/or payouts.
- Resume writing and unemployment insurance training, as well as paid time off for job interview.
“IAM District Lodge 54 and Local Lodge 1802 concluded effects bargaining with the company relating to their poor decision to move the facility. Unfortunately, this company has chosen corporate profits over the livelihoods of 116 of its own employees, its retirees and the Amherst community that have made Nordson a top-ranked company for decades,” said IAM District 54 President and Directing Business Representative T. Dean Wright Jr. in a statement. “Our members will receive severance packages valued as much as $85,000. I want to thank our Local Committee for our work in representing our members and standing strong during this difficult time. Now our members and their families have a better path forward to move on to the next chapter in life.”
In June, Nordson confirmed to 3News that it intends "to relocate our ICS manufacturing, assembly and machining operations to a new Nordson facility in South Carolina, which would enable us to host all of the products currently manufactured across several buildings in Amherst into one location."
The company said the move would impact "approximately 145 jobs in Amherst," with the transition of manufacturing operations occurring "over time." Nordson stated that over 330 jobs will remain in Amherst as well as at its global headquarters in Westlake.
So why is Nordson seeking to move its manufacturing footprint out of Amherst?
"Our business is out of space, and we are landlocked by a railroad and a residential community, making it difficult to expand manufacturing capabilities to meet our customers’ increasing needs," the company explained in its email.
The Nordson Corporation is a precision technology company that "is known for world-class precision engineering, and for manufacturing fully-integrated systems, after-market parts, and consumables." Nordson reported $2.6 billion in revenue in 2023, ranking at No. 972 in this year's Fortune 500 list.
According to the IAW, Nordson's projected closure date of its Amherst facility is Feb. 14, 2025.
3News has reached out to Nordson for more on the severance agreement and will update this story.
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